The Sword Guy Podcast
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Guy Windsor and friends discuss sword training, historical swordsmanship, research, and other topics. Guests include well-known instructors and experts in the field.
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5 days ago
Bringing Fiore to a Knife Fight, with Ian Davis
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/bringing-fiore-to-a-knife-fight-with-ian-davis/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ian Davis is a historical fencing instructor at Boston Armizare, specialising in Italian fencing from the 14th to the 16th centuries. These days he is almost exclusively interested in wrestling, dagger and harness.
Ian has been testing to discover what it actually takes to stick a sword point through historical maille. Here are some videos of his tests:
Maille testing round 1 (sword): https://youtu.be/CLDcmiF1u1s
Maille testing round 1 (dagger): https://youtu.be/WRE80BpQi7I
Maille testing round 1 (spear): https://youtu.be/51KVNtdKBFY
This is a full year after the first series:
Maille testing round 2: https://youtu.be/RH1zbd0WFPw
We also talk about the contentious topic of bringing Fiore into the modern combative self-defence context. How can wrestling techniques from the likes of Fiore, Vadi and Monte help people defend themselves against an assailant with a knife or a gun? Also, how do you square the murderousness of a knightly combat system with the modern legalities and ethical issues of self-defence?
Click here to see the Vadi headlock image we mention: https://swordschool.com/podcast/bringing-fiore-to-a-knife-fight-with-ian-davis/
In the final question of the interview, Ian talks about spending a million dollars on getting manuscripts into the public domain. Here’s the link to the Raymond J. Lord collection we discuss:
Raymond J. Lord: https://www.umass.edu/renaissance/lord
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Mar 10, 2023
Babies, horses, and a secret knife, with Gretchen Settle
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/babies-horses-and-a-secret-knife-with-gretchen-settle/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Gretchen Settle models, swordfights and makes stuff. She is getting back into training after giving birth to an incredibly adorable young sword person who looks very good with her little sword.
We talk about Gretchen’s background with horses and how she came to get into longsword and ringen with Maryland Kunst des Fechtens. Her love of historical martial arts has spilled over into her modelling work, and here is a link to the ‘Blossfechten’ photo we discuss, which can be found on Gretchen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/COlisAdHtqE/
And here is a photo of the tiny knife Gretchen hid in her garter on her wedding day: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVwUS1WrjFS/
As Gretchen has recently had a baby, we talk about trying to keep up with training when you’re pregnant (not possible if you’ve got horrendous morning sickness) and how you get back into it after having the baby.
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Mar 3, 2023
Boldly Going with Stephen Hand
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/boldly-going-with-stephen-hand/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Stephen Hand is a founder of the Stoccata School of Defence, author of several books, including English Swordsmanship: The True Fight of George Silver and Swordplay in the Age of Shakespeare, and he currently teaches at the Stoccata Branch in Hobart, Tasmania. He has also choreographed a sword fighting movie about Macbeth. We’ve known each other a long time, and we have a little reminisce about what it was like trying to get hold of manuals and equipment back in the olden days of the 1990s. We also talk about what it was like to be in the first generation of instructors in the fledgling historical martial arts community.
Steve is known for his work on George Silver, and also Joseph Swetnam, who was well known for being a raging misogynist pig, and a bit of a dick even by the standards of his day. But the most important question is who would win in a three-way fight between Swetnam, Silver and Saviolo?
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Feb 24, 2023
HEMA in Mexico and Inspirational Women
For transcriptions, images and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/hema-in-mexico-and-inspirational-women/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Mariana Lopez is a historical fencer, coach, artist and one of the founders of HEMA in Mexico, 16 years ago. She is also the co-founder of Esfinges, an international network of female historical fencers.
In our conversation we talk about how the HEMA scene in Mexico differs from the U.S. or Europe, and what other countries might learn from the Mexican way of doing things.
We also talk about Esfinges, and what it was like to found the network, the abuse she has faced for it, and how hearing from so many women in HEMA has affected her views.
Mariana is keen to improve tournament culture, and we hear how she would like to do that – and how her approach differs from Guy’s. She is also looking to set up a scholarship, and towards the end of the interview she explains how it could be done.
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Feb 17, 2023
Swordbeards and Violence, with Dr. Mark Geldof
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/swordbeards-and-violence-with-dr-mark-geldof/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Mark Geldof specialises in all kinds of historical violence. He has a DPhil in history from the University of Oxford on Change and Continuity in English Elite Conceptions of Violence, 1450-1560 and an M.A. entitled The Heart, the Foot, the Eye to Accord: Procedural Writing and Three Middle English Manuscripts of Martial Instruction.
He got into swords through the SCA, and he explains how the knowledge he gained through whacking people with sticks has influenced his work.
We talk about the three English sword texts from the 15th century, and how Mark wrote a 122 page master’s thesis with a 22 page bibliography on 400 lines of text. He has plenty of advice for the amateur historian on avoiding pitfalls and making sure that you are studying the best sources.
We also talk about why what seems like excessive violence is actually necessary or expected, and how humans can keep going even after they’ve been stabbed in the heart or skewered on a spear, so if you’re going to kill someone, you’ve got to keep going until they are definitely dead.
There are lots of useful links for this episode. Firstly, we refer to the episodes with Paul Wagner and Mike Prendergast that you might want to listen back to. And here are the links from Mark:
- Link to the Patreon: https://patreon.com/dr_violence
- Link to the MA thesis download: https://harvest.usask.ca/handle/10388/ETD-2011-08-77?show=full (note that these transcriptions are not perfect, in this ed. But they are better than what’s been around most often)
- Link to the doctoral thesis for those interested: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6d6be72b-b6ea-460f-b222-beb0547465eb
- The most current edition of Titus A xxv: https://bl.iro.bl.uk/concern/articles/614dcee4-907c-4ab8-879d-5143b0e5c673?locale=en
- Gentileschi Judith and her Maidservant 1: https://discover.hubpages.com/art/Judith-and-her-Maidservant---My-Take
- Judith and Maidservant 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_Gentileschi#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_Judith_Maidservant_DIA.jpg
- Judith slaying Holofernes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Slaying_Holofernes_%28Artemisia_Gentileschi,_Naples%29#/media/File:Artemisia_Gentileschi_-_Judith_Beheading_Holofernes_-_WGA8563.jpg
- See the shownotes on Swordschool.com for the draft of the paper on the Additional ms that’s in submission right now.
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Feb 10, 2023
Patience and Perspective, with Ginny Beatty
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/patience-and-perspective-with-ginny-beatty/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ginny Beatty is a historical fencer in the SCA in Ohio, USA, and she took up arms in her late forties, having done everything else first: historical cookery, archery, heraldry, and making costumes, armour and weapons. She now loves fencing with a rapier and buckler and explains the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and learning new things to stay young.
We talk about how to keep yourself in shape when you are slightly older. What the challenges are (and the advantages) and how to cross-train. Also, how to win a fencing match against someone taller or more aggressive than yourself. Ginny describes her nutrition plan that keeps her energy up and the importance of proper body mechanics to avoid injury.
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Feb 3, 2023
Fiore: The Movie, with Alberto Mattea
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/fiore-the-movie-with-alberto-mattea/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Alberto Mattea is an Italian film composer and filmmaker, actor and re-enactor with a deep interest in the Middle Ages. In the historical martial arts world, he is perhaps best known for his short film Fiore, which is, I think, the most accurate representation of the late 14th century ever put on the screen.
In this episode Alberto explains how the film got made on a tiny budget of €3,000, how they built the sets, made the costumes and did the special effects. And who made the swords! Listen to the very end of this episode to hear some of the music Alberto composed for the film.
We also talk about what TV series Alberto ought to make next, which would change the perception of the Middle Ages in popular culture.
You can see Fiore on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_H3dkTiaRA and here is the video with the breakdown of the visual effects that is mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja5Q-70XEDA
For more information about Alberto, this is his website: https://www.albertomattea.com/
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Jan 27, 2023
The Whack Don’t Die Method, with Kari Holman
For transcriptions, photos and more detailed shownotes, please go to: https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-whack-dont-die-method-with-kari-holman/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kari Holman is a rapier fencer and a licensed therapist. She has also written Psychology and the SCA Fencing Woman: a Manual for Students and Teachers. The moment I read it, I asked if I could include it in my How to Teach course because it's that good. So of course, we talk about teaching women and what’s been going wrong with teaching that leads to so many women dropping out before they reach the higher echelons of the fencing community.
We also talk about trauma and PTSD. Kari explains about different types of trauma, whether we are all traumatised, and how similar events could be traumatic or not at all, depending on the context.
Kari volunteers as a psychological counsellor at the Midwest FurFest, which currently the largest free convention in the US. We have a very interesting chat about why she’s needed, what happens at these conventions, and why so many thousands of people might want to dress up in a fur suit in the first place.
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Jan 20, 2023
Becoming Your Best Swordsman with Robert Childs
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/becoming-your-best-swordsman-with-robert-childs/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Robert Childs is a well-known rapier competition champion and author of the new book Revelations of Rapier. In our conversation we talk about how he trains for tournaments and what has made him so successful. We talk about judging tournaments and the difficulty of spotting lightening fast thrusts.
Robert has synthesised his own eclectic method for rapier fencing, and he explains some of it for us in this episode. He also takes us through his school’s unusual ranking system, in which you have to win tournaments and eventually fight multiple opponents at once in order to progress up the ranks.
The best idea Robert hasn’t acted on yet it to develop a team sport called Blood of Heroes, which involves weapons, dog skulls, and working as a team to beat your opponents. It sounds great fun.
And finally, Robert is actually building his own castle! If you are interested in finding out more or supporting the project, his Patreon is here: https://www.patreon.com/castleandsword
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/robertchildsrapier
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Jan 13, 2023
The importance of mixer taps, with Eleanor Janega
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-importance-of-mixer-taps-with-eleanor-janega/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
I am delighted to announce that Dr Eleanor Janega is back! She was first on the show way back in episode 16, which is one of our most popular episodes. Since her last appearance on The Sword Guy, Eleanor has published a book and been on TV. Time to catch up on what she has been working on!
Just to remind you, Eleanor is a guest lecturer at LSC in the Department of International History. She has a Ph.D. in history. She has a blog called Going Medieval that you definitely should check out. She's a co-host of the We're Not So Different podcast. She has a Patreon account, at patreon.com/goingmedieval. And she's the author of The Middle Ages: A Graphic History, which came out last year and of The Once and Future Sex coming out next year. In addition to all of this, she is a presenter of the History Hit TV shows Going Medieval and Exploring the Medieval Afterlife.
In this episode we talk about sexism through the ages, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, being a foreigner in Britain and what ‘Britishness’ actually is, medieval ghosts, beer, and quite a few other things too.
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Jan 6, 2023
Outnumbered combat and catching imaginary balls, with Luis Preto
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/outnumbered-combat-and-catching-imaginary-balls-with-luis-preto/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Luis Preto is a Jogo do Pau instructor and author of multiple books, including a tutorial on multiple opponent combat with one handed weapons. He also has two master's degrees, one in teaching sports and the other in Kineseology.
Jogo do Pau is known as Portuguese stick fighting, which shares a cultural heritage with similar combat systems in Europe, but one difference is that in the Portuguese system, the multiple opponent training has been preserved. We talk about why training in outnumbered combat may have been lost in other areas, and how to train for such scenarios in a safe way. Luis explains how it’s actually quite simple to protect your head from being whacked by a big stick.
To watch some Jogo do Pau videos, here is Luis’s YouTube ch…
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Dec 30, 2022
Medieval Shoulders, Trees and Swords, with Jessica Finley (Episode 1 Repeat)
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-shoulders-trees-and-swords-with-jessica-finley-episode-1-repeat/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This week’s repeated episode is the very first Sword Guy Podcast episode, with the inestimable Jessica Finley, who may be known to you from her wonderful book about medieval wrestling. Those of you who are enrolled on my Solo Training course may have sweated and grunted through her “solo training for wrestlers” section of the course, and if you know her on her Patreon account, she produces translations, interpretations, previews of books in progress, and videos also for her patrons and you can find her there at www.patreon.com/jessfinley.
Birthday Sale
You still have two days left to use the code, GUYTURNS49 to get £5 off any of my books at swordschool.shop and 30% off any course at courses.swordschool.com. The code will work unti…
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Dec 23, 2022
Fear is the Mind Killer, with Kajetan Sadowski (Episode 5 Repeat)
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fear-is-the-mind-killer-with-kajetan-sadowski-episode-5-repeat/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
As it’s the Christmas holiday period I have decided to repeat a couple of classic episodes, which you may not have heard first time around. The first is with Kajetan Sadowski. Kajetan has changed his name and pronouns since the time of recording, and in the episode you’ll hear me using his old name of Kaja.
Kajetan is the author of the must-read Fear is the Mind-Killer, one of my top ten books on martial arts.
We also talk about training with two swords, training in high-stress situations, and lots more training besides!
Kajetan has been a physical instructor since 2004, teaching figure skating, rock climbing, and mountaineering before coming to martial arts in 2010. He joined the coaching team at Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly in 201…
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Dec 16, 2022
The Yeti of Chest Protection, with Veronica Young
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-yeti-of-chest-protection-with-veronica-young/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Veronica Young is an industrial designer, historical martial artist and founder of Cryptid Combat Wear, and she is also currently running a campaign for making a chest protector for women, which will actually fit and allow for movement. Veronica explains how she developed the prototypes, and how she has worked on the sizing to fit the widest range of people. The Indigogo campaign is running until 6th January, and you can support it here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fencing-chest-protector#/
You might recall from the AMA episode a couple of weeks ago, we had a question about women’s knees, and how to prevent injury from fencing in a Meyerist fashion. Well, Veronica practises Meyer, and she has knees, so I asked her what she does to protect them. It’s a…
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Dec 9, 2022
What Makes a Warrior? With Cain Maxwell
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/what-makes-a-warrior-with-cain-maxwell/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Cain Maxwell is an instructor of physical culture, who's been teaching physical skills his entire life, from swimming to military firearms to ballroom dancing, even. And now he is teaching mounted martial arts and runs a school called Martial Equestrian, a mounted combat school in Hinckley, Ohio.
Cain learned to fight by fighting for real in a rough neighbourhood. In his own words, he had a chip on his shoulder. So he approaches martial arts with the question of whether it would really work on the streets. In our conversation we talk about pedagogy, translation, choosing a source, and martial culture. We discuss the difference between a warrior and a thug. They are both willing to do violence to others, so what is the difference? And can martial arts really teach good cha…
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Dec 2, 2022
Furries, Bar Fights, and Cryotherapy, with Lisa Losito
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/furries-bar-fights-and-cryotherapy-with-lisa-losito/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Lisa Losito is a sword mom, historical fencer and an organising brain behind Lord Baltimore's Challenge. Lisa suffers from a chronic illness which affects her training, but she is absolutely passionate about helping others achieve their vision for events within the historical martial arts world. Whether that’s a big event like Lord Baltimore’s Challenge, or small grassroots events with local clubs, Lisa will make sure everyone has what they need, and make sure that everyone is safe.
Safety is something we discuss in this episode, both in terms of gear (particularly head protection) and physical and emotional safety within the environment. We talk about the culture change that is needed to prevent injuries like concussion and to keep bad actors out of hist…
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Nov 25, 2022
Ask Me Anything! With Guy Windsor
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/ask-me-anything-with-guy-windsor/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today's episode is a little bit different. It's an Ask Me Anything with me. I sent out a query to my patrons on Patreon and also to my mailing list, and I got a whole bunch of questions that apparently people want answers to, so I’ve answered them. Find out which historical master I would like on my side in a tavern brawl, my funniest moment in teaching, my ideal podcast guest, and more.
A couple of useful links
From the question about the best rapier fencing system:
* Link to the Swordschool Wiki where you can find plate 17 and plate 19 from Capoferro: https://www.swordschool.com/wiki/index.php/Specific_Plays_from_Capoferro
From the question about the lefty Todesca:
* Here is the link to Eleanora Rebecchi’s episode: https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-four-virtues-…
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Nov 18, 2022
Medieval Banana Hammocks with Tasha Dandelion Kelly
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-banana-hammocks-with-tasha-dandelion-kelly/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today’s episode is with Tasha Dandelion Kelly, an expert in medieval clothing who blogs at La Cotte Simple and in my opinion, knows perhaps more than anyone else on the planet about how a gambeson should be made.
We talk about the Charles de Blois pourpoint, which is constructed in such a way that it gives incredible freedom of movement. You can see pictures of different examples on Tasha’s website – check out the construction around the shoulders: https://cottesimple.com/images/cdb-pourpoint-pattern/
If you fancy making one, Tasha’s pourpoint pattern book is for sale here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/tasha-kelly/the-pourpoint-of-charles-de-blois/paperback/product-1rg4jw2g.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Here is a direct link to the PDF of her article on the r…
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Nov 11, 2022
Broadsword for Kids, with Andrew Newton
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/broadsword-for-kids-with-andrew-newton/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Andrew Newton lives in the Annapolis Valley in Eastern Canada. He is a historical fencer and mounted archer and runs the Annapolis Valley Historical Fencing Club, teaching broadsword, sabre and cutlass. Andrew was also an officer in the Air Force, so of course there’s a bit of plane chat. In our discussion we talk about the business end of running a club: how to make money, effective marketing tips, and why even if you’re a non-profit you still need to have a business-like approach.
Andrew is running very successful youth classes, for both younger kids and teenagers. He talks about how to teach children and why it’s not that different to teaching adults. We discuss the importance of getting youngsters into HMA.
Useful links:
Guy’s Farfalla di Ferro drill video:…
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Nov 4, 2022
How to build a space rocket, with Leigh Shocki
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/how-to-build-a-space-rocket-with-leigh-shocki/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Leigh Shocki works for Blue Origin as an Instructional Designer – she can teach you to build a rocket, even though she flunked maths. You too can work at a space company, even if you’re not a rocket scientist!
Leigh is passionate about making both space travel and swords more diverse and we discuss the code of conduct she wrote for Lonin which builds in things like inclusive language and ensuring everyone feels safe: https://www.lonin.org/code-of-conduct/ Leigh also mentions the Esfinges Facebook group for women in HMA which now has 2k members and 6.9k followers of the page.
Here are the links for the Beth Hammer episode, the Neal Stephenson episode and the Kaja Sadowski episode we refer to.
And then on the space inclusivity side see: https://astroaccess.org/…
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Oct 28, 2022
Podcasting with the Sword Whisperers (Schwertgeflüster)
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/podcasting-with-the-sword-whisperers-schwertgefluster/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Michael Sprenger and Alexander Fürgut are the creators of Schwertgeflüster, a (usually) German-speaking podcast about all things HMA. In this episode Michael and Alexander interview Guy, while Guy also interviews Michael and Alexander a bit too. It’s not as confusing as it sounds.
We talk about how Alexander can’t get into the correct position for Fabris’s rapier fencing, which Guy diagnoses as possible tight hamstrings. If you also want to work on lengthening your hamstrings, here’s Guy’s trainalong hamstring special. The warmup section is about 25min, then we get into the hamstring stretches… vimeo.com/504380949/d22be1ece5
We also talk about the art and science of making a podcast, what’s wrong with HEMA tournaments, publishing lawsuits,…
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Oct 21, 2022
The episode in which Guy gets challenged to a duel, with Auri Poso
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-episode-in-which-guy-gets-challenged-to-a-duel-with-auri-poso/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Auri Poso is a long time student of Guy’s and one of the first teachers he ever trained. Auri now runs her own school, the Gladiolus School of Arms in Helsinki/Espoo, Finland.
In our conversation we talk about Star Wars, which leads to a disagreement about Luke Skywalker needing a good slap. Whether lightsabers would be a suitable weapon in the ensuing duel between Guy and Auri causes another difference of opinion…
We also talk about returning to classes and teaching after an extended break to have children, the challenges of starting a school in a crowded market, taking a summer break to tour Europe’s sword schools, and using €1 million to set up an incredible historical martial arts centre.
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Oct 14, 2022
Poofy pants and Murderhobos with Adam Franti
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/poofy-pants-and-murderhobos-with-adam-franti/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Adam Franti is a member of the Meyer Freifechter Guild and an organiser of the Midwest Historical Fencing League. He also started the Lansing Longsword Guild in the summer of 2017, which focuses on Meyer’s longsword. And he is a fellow podcaster, host of a show called Murderhobos, which covers chivalry, duelling and warfare.
We talk about 19th century American military history, and then hop back in time to 16th century Germany. Adam is something of an expert in Meyer’s dusack, and we find out what drew him in to this system. He tells us about the Fechtschule fencing competitions, duelling and warfare in Germany at that time. There are links and photos below to accompany the episode:
Adam’s workbook on Meyer’s fencing:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-franti-…
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Oct 7, 2022
The Four Virtues of Sword Making, with Eleonora Rebecchi
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-four-virtues-of-sword-making-with-eleonora-rebecchi/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Eleonora Rebecchi is the creative director at Malleus Martialis, producer of excellent training swords, as well as a practising historical fencer and a graphic artist who has done some lovely covers for Guy. She is also a classically trained singer, which you’ll get to hear in this episode.
We talk about how Eleanora and her partner Rodolfo got into designing swords for a living, what goes into the design process, and what qualities a business selling swords needs.
Eleonora explains how the aesthetics, ergonomics and dynamics of a sword fit together, which is demonstrated by Guy’s delightful new longsword.
Here is the unboxing video so you can see what he means: https://vimeo.com/722218823
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Sep 30, 2022
How to Teach Historical Martial Arts, with Guy Windsor
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/how-to-teach-historical-martial-arts-with-guy-windsor/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This episode of the podcast is a little bit different because I'm not interviewing anyone. I'm here to talk to you about how to teach. I believe that teaching historical martial arts or anything else is a skill, and as such it can be studied and taught. In other words, you're not born a good teacher, you become one through mindful practise. So the question, I guess, is how do you set about that in a systematic and useful way that will lead you to your desired result? Well, I have a course. Of course I have a course; I always have a course. I am releasing this week my course on how to teach. Now, before you just dash off and buy it, because you're just that sort of excellently supportive listener to the show, I think it would be a good idea if you listen to s…
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Sep 23, 2022
From Katanas to Creating the Metaverse, with Neal Stephenson
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/from-katanas-to-creating-the-metaverse-with-neal-stephenson/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Neal Stephenson is a best-selling author, futurist, tech geek and swordsman whose works include Cryptonomicron, Seveneves, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash. He has also co-written several other books and graphic novels which we discuss in this episode. His latest book, Termination Shock goes into depth and detail about Sikh martial arts, which he had to research during the Covid lockdowns.
Of course, Neal’s main claim to fame is that he wrote the preface to my own Swordfighting for Writers, Game Designers and Martial Artists.
We cover an enormously wide range of topics in this episode, from fountain pens to working with Jeff Bezos building rockets. If you want to find anything in particular, the timestamps and related links are listed below:
* [03:07…
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Sep 16, 2022
Elementary, my dear Windsor, with Dr. Ashley Polasek
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/elementary-my-dear-windsor/
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Dr. Ashley Polasek is a historical martial artist who started with Lichtenauer and now teaches Bolognese swordsmanship. She is based in South Carolina, but spends much of her time travelling for her day job working with one of the world’s most successful playwrights.
Ashley is an expert in Sherlock Holmes. She was a consultant on the first Enola Holmes movie and is a member of the exclusive ‘Baker Street Irregulars’. Her PhD is in adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, and it is fascinating how the character pops up in so many different versions, and yet they are all recognisably Sherlock Holmes. Even Sherlock Gnomes.
(As she is so keen on adaptation, I’m sure Ashley won’t mind that the misquoted title of this episode, “Elementary, my dear Watson,” was never actually said by…
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Sep 9, 2022
Teaching horses martial arts with the Horsemen of Eire
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/teaching-horses-martial-arts-with-the-horsemen-of-eire/
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Alessia Pagani and Jack Gassman run Horsemen of Eire, an equestrian training school and medieval combat academy outside Wexford in Ireland. Alessia specialises in natural horsemanship and Jack takes care of the swords.
In this episode we talk about what’s natural about ‘natural horsemanship’, and its origins in American cowboys and medieval training techniques. There is a blog post here with pictures of the single and double pillar training techniques we discuss: https://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com/2013/09/antoine-de-pluvinel-images-from.html
Alessia spent time living and working as a cowgirl in Arizona and she explains how Rossfechten (swordfighting on horseback) is similar to herding cattle. Teaching horses to fight is not dissimilar to teaching…
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Sep 2, 2022
Support Vector Machines are Cool, with Kari Baker
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/support-vector-machines-are-cool-with-kari-baker/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kari Baker is a data scientist and swordswoman from Arizona who writes appallingly advanced data analysis articles for Sword STEM. In our conversation we discuss how data helped increase women’s participation in events and whether we can predict a double in tournaments.
You can find Kari’s Sword STEM articles here: http://swordstem.com/author/kbaker/
If you have any interesting research questions, or datasets you want to ask questions of, send them to Guy or pop over to the Sword STEM Facebook page.
Audiobook Bundle Special Offer!
As mentioned in the introduction to this episode, check out my audiobook bundle for The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts. This includes the ebook and the audiobook version, narrated by Kelley Costigan. You can find…
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Aug 26, 2022
Movement Matters with Katy Bowman (Episode 54 repeat)
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/movement-matters-with-katy-bowman-episode-54-repeat/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Bestselling author, speaker, and a leader in the Movement movement, biomechanist Katy Bowman has been changing the way we move and think about our need for movement. Her eight books, including the groundbreaking “Move Your DNA” and “Movement Matters” have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Bowman teaches movement globally and speaks about sedentarism and movement ecology to academic and scientific audiences. Her work has been featured in diverse media such as the Today Show, CBC Radio One, the Seattle Times, and Good Housekeeping. One of Maria Shriver’s “Architects of Change” and an America Walks “Woman of the Walking Movement”, Katy has worked with companies like Patagonia, Nike and Google as well as a wide range of…
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Aug 19, 2022
Fiore and the Dinosaurs with Erin Fitzgerald
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fiore_dinosaurs_erin_fitzgerald/
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Erin Fitzgerald is a historical martial arts practitioner at the Chicago Swordplay Guild, but her day job takes us much further back in time: to the time of the dinosaurs. Erin is a Fossil Preparator and in our conversation she explains the painstaking process of safely transporting fossils back to the lab and cleaning them up ready for studying.
After talking about dinosaurs we skip forward a few tens of millions of years to medieval times and talk about Erin’s love of armoured combat and medieval longsword.
Erin is also an artist and created a magnificent painting of Fiore’s Segno, to be hung on the wall in the Chicago Swordplay Guild. Here is a blog post from Tasha Kelly about it: https://cottesimple.com/manuscript-interpretation/coloring-segno-della-spada/
Visit the we…
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Aug 12, 2022
Fire and Cauldrons with Ruth Goodman (Episode 44 repeat)
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fire-and-cauldrons-with-ruth-goodman-episode-44-repeat/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ruth Goodman is a social and domestic historian working with museums, theatre, television and educational establishments. She has presented and consulted on several highly successful television series for the BBC. She has also written several excellent books we’ll be talking about today, including The Domestic Revolution, How to be a Tudor and How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England.
In this episode, Ruth and I talk about some of the lesser known, but nonetheless fascinating aspects of life in the Middle Ages, without what we think of “essential” cleaning products, or temperature controlled ovens. Yes, people did get their clothes properly clean, and they were able to bake excellent cakes, pastries and bread. Ruth explains how they did this, and t…
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Aug 5, 2022
Finding your niche, with Mila Jędrzejewska
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/finding-your-niche-with-mila-jedrzejewska/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Mila Jędrzejewska runs Audatia Creative, a professional services company for businesses in the historical martial arts space. In this conversation, we hear what led Mila to start up her own business, why she focuses on our particular niche, and how Guy and Mila are working together.
Mila describes her experiences of sexism in the sword world and racism in the business world and we discuss the privilege of being able to work in a fulfilling job that you love.
For the question, ‘What would you do with £1 million to improve historical martial arts worldwide?’ Guy gives his own idea of what he would like to do with the money. Would you be interested in a dedicated historical martial arts online platform, a “Swordbook”, if you will? Guy’s vision is a not-for-pr…
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Jul 29, 2022
Tameshigiri Training with Asante Lawla
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/tameshigiri-training-with-asante-lawla/
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Asante Lawla is a London-based inventor, corrective exercise specialist and a martial artist who is currently working on an edge alignment device to help people learn to cut better. He practises an Indian battlefield martial art called Shastar Vidiya, which translates as ‘the science of weapons’. Finding that getting hold of the materials needed for cutting training to be expensive, time-consuming and messy, he developed a prototype for a new type of tameshigiri trainer. It uses lasers attached to your sword which makes marks on a target so you can see your edge alignment – something you cannot do with tatami mats or water bottles. Asante has a crowdfunding campaign that runs until the end of August 2022. See here for all the details of the tameshigiri trainer, how i…
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Jul 22, 2022
Combat Theory and the Incas, with John Lennox
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/combat-theory-and-the-incas-with-john-lennox/
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Dr John Lennox is one of the founders of the International Swordsmanship and Martial Arts Convention in Lansing, which moved to Vegas to become CombatCon. He's an instructor with the Historical Martial Studies Society and with the School of Two Swords.
John has a Ph.D. in the relationship between stage combat and personal combat from the late 16th century onwards, and we talk about stage combat throughout history and how actors were trained to fight on stage. For more on this, see John’s book, Stage Combat Swordplay from Shakespeare to the Present. The actor in Shakespeare’s troupe who was a master fencer was the famous clown Richard Tarleton, who was given his master’s status on Oct. 23rd, 1587 by the London Masters of Defence (Berry, 33). Sloane’s MSS 2530…
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Jul 15, 2022
Sword Business, with Jo York
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/sword-business-with-jo-york/
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Jo York is a provost of the Hotspur School of Defence, which is based in the north east of England, and an entrepreneur in her work life, as well as an avid listener of this show.
Jo talks about her home town of Knaresborough, with its annual Bed Race. There are pictures here: https://www.bedrace.co.uk/gallery/2022-race
And this is the fabulous Yorkshire-accented raven at Knaresborough castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf42vpQMJ9o
Jo works with start-up businesses and has started her own businesses too, so we talk about what makes a good idea for a viable enterprise and how to go about it. The book Guy mentions is Don’t Trust Your Gut, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz and the book Jo recommends is The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea…
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Jul 8, 2022
Yoghurt Pot Armour with Kin Chan
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/yoghurt-pot-armour-with-kin-chan/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kin Chan is a landscape designer, a cosplayer, and a historical martial arts practitioner, who lives in Ontaria, Canada.
In this episode we discuss making things at all ends of the scale, from the tiny (watchmaking) to the huge (landscape design), with cosplay and armour in between.
Kin takes us through the incredible amount of work and craftsmanship that goes into creating costumes for cosplay conventions, and we talk about the similarities between cosplay and historical re-enactment. We also geek out about our favourite historical armour. You can find Maximilian’s flying blasting plates, designed with help from clockmakers, at around 10:31 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY_RldJvCWs
As promised, you can find photos of Kin’s workspace, his Beserker armour…
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Jul 1, 2022
Stretto and Surgery, with Elizabeth Scott
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/stretto-and-surgery-with-elizabeth-scott/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Elizabeth Scott is a historical martial arts and armoured combat practitioner on foot and on horseback, as well as being a surgeon. In our conversation we cover the obvious risks to your fingers when taking part in armoured combat, which could be highly problematic in Elizabeth’s profession. We talk about the mindset needed for both swordsmanship, surgery, and flying a plane, where failure can mean death. How can these skills be taught in the safest way?
We also have a discussion about ‘stretto’ and what Fiore meant by the term. Guy explains his interpretation and why, according to him, stretto is not just a description of measure.
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Jun 24, 2022
You’ve been holding your lightsaber all wrong, with Kyle Rowling
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/youve-been-holding-your-lightsaber-all-wrong-with-kyle-rowling/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kyle Rowling is a fight master, director of the Action Acting Academy, and he is also the man who taught Samuel L Jackson how to use a lightsaber. In this episode we hear about how Kyle became Christopher Lee’s body double, the real ending to the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and what it’s like to have your own action figure and Lego minifigure.
Kyle has body doubled all the Sith characters in Star Wars, even General Grievous, and alongside legendary stunt coordinator, Nick Gillard, taught Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen how to wield a lightsaber. And yes, you’re holding it wrong.
Listen in for Kyle’s incredible stories of what it is like to work behind and in front of the camera on Star Wars.
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Jun 17, 2022
Training Nerds in the Desert, with Skye Hilton
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/training-nerds-in-the-desert-with-skye-hilton/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Skye Hilton is a historical martial arts instructor and fitness trainer, best known as The Nerd Trainer, who lives in West Texas, hundreds of miles from the nearest sword school, so when she moved out there from California she started her own school to find people to play with: www.theswordschool.org/.
In this episode we talk about the best exercises people can do before starting sword classes, imposter syndrome, “fendente bots”, and taking part in “Forged in Fire: Knife or Death,” a US History network series. Forged in Fire is an obstacle course of increasingly crazy things you have to cut, break, bash, stab and get to the end in order to progress to a harder obstacle course. Here are some photos of Skye with her chopper, cutting through dry bamboo and eve…
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Jun 10, 2022
Pain is the best teacher, ideally somebody else’s. With Steaphen Fick
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/pain-is-the-best-teacher-with-steaphen-fick/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today’s episode is with Steaphen Fick, who is a historical martial arts instructor and a fight choreographer, and also an old comrade in arms since we met in Edinburgh in the nineties. In fact, in this episode you will hear about a certain naked escapade involving swords in Finland in 1999. Click here for a picture of us, fully clothed, from the same trip.
Steaphen founded the Davenriche European Martial Arts School in Santa Clara, California in 2000 and it is still going 22 years later. We will be talking about how he managed that, and how he has built it up into having 8700 square feet of space to include swords, archery, axe throwing, and even airsoft. There is a lot in this episode about running a business, which would be of interest to anyone thinking of setti…
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Jun 3, 2022
What is a Round Table? With Elizabeth Champion
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/what-is-a-round-table-with-elizabeth-champion/
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Elizabeth Champion is an arms and armour historian specialising in high medieval Round Table tournaments and the Merlin legends. She's also a historical fencer, co-founder of Stratford Swords and an ex-cage fighter.
In our conversation we discuss what was a Round Table Tournament. Is it to do with King Arthur, or the arrangement of the tables, or both? If you have come across anything to do with Round Tables in your reading, if you think you might know something, check if it's in Elizabeth’s appendix here: https://swordschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Appendix-Round-Tables-of-England-Scotland-and-Wales-1230-1330-E.Champion-Final.pdf If it's already there, Elizabeth already knows about it. And if it isn't there, send it to me and I'll pass it on to her. Let…
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May 27, 2022
Synthetic Armour and Smithing in France, with Anthony Rischard
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/synthetic-armour-and-smithing-in-france-with-anthony-rischard/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Anthony Rischard is a blacksmith, historical martial arts practitioner and proprietor of Black Armoury, one of the largest suppliers of historical martial arts gear in Europe. In our conversation we talk about how Anthony gave up his office job to become a full time blacksmith in France, and his move into starting Black Armoury. Have a listen to find out why they began producing suits of armour made entirely from synthetic materials and what the benefits of plastic are compared to steel. The last couple of years have been unusually challenging for Anthony’s business, especially with the current supply issues across Europe and the situation in Ukraine.
There are a lot of photos to share with you for this episode! Visit the episode page on Swordscho…
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May 20, 2022
Smacking People in the Head… Gracefully. With Riri Nitihardjo
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/smacking-people-in-the-head-gracefully-with-riri-nitihardjo/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Riri Nitihardjo is a martial arts (and ballet) practitioner from Jakarta, Indonesia. Riri first got interested in swords when she discovered The Lord of the Rings and wanted to learn how to wield a sword like Aragorn. She became so hooked on Tolkein that she took a linguistics programme at university – though they wouldn’t let her do her graduate thesis on Elvish languages.
The historical European martial arts scene is very small in Indonesia, so Riri and her friends started their own club. Five years later and the club, Gwaith-i-Megyr, is still going strong, with no formal structure and no paperwork.
We chat about starting new things in your forties and how anyone at any age can get stronger and fitter and learn a new skill. Riri has been learni…
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May 13, 2022
Is there anything Daniel Jaquet can’t do in armour?
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/is-there-anything-daniel-jaquet-cant-do-in-armour/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Daniel Jaquet should need no introduction. He has been extremely active in both the academic and practical aspects of medieval combat research for the last couple of decades or more.
He has a Ph.D. from Geneva University in medieval history, on combat in armour at the end of the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the Renaissance, based on studying combat manuals. So, he has a Ph.D. in actual, proper medieval sword fighting stuff, not just general medieval history stuff. He is a founder and co-editor of Acta Periodica Duellatorum, the only academic journal focussing on historical martial arts.
Daniel is perhaps best known for his work on how well a knight could move in full armour, producing video demonstrations of climbing walls and ladders, doing flips a…
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May 6, 2022
Judging and Jeopardy, with Rebecca Glass
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/judging-and-jeopardy-with-rebecca-glass/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Rebecca Glass is a historical martial arts instructor and an avid baseball fan. She has also appeared on the TV quiz show Jeopardy and is a part of the Trivia scene. In our conversation we talk about all three of these interests, plus judging historical martial arts tournaments. Rebecca is highly respected as a fight director, so we talk about what makes a good judge and how to make the right decisions when judging a fight.
We start by talking about Liechtenauer’s Zettel, and this is the book Rebecca mentions: Sword, Science and Society, by James Acutt.
When we talk about managing your mindset during tournaments (or any sports), this is the book mentioned: The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion: Sports psychology, by Lesley Paterson and Simon M…
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Apr 29, 2022
Fabris vs. Capoferro, with Reinier van Noort
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fabris-vs-capoferro-with-reinier-van-noort/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Reinier van Noort is a martial arts instructor and translator of over a dozen historical fencing treatises. He now lives in Norway but is originally from the Netherlands, so we talk about his impressive skills in translating from one foreign language into another. You can find Reinier’s work at www.bruchius.com, and his list of publications here: Publications - Ense et Mente (bruchius.com).
We covered a lot in our conversation as you can see from the following notes:
Jägerstock
If you’re subscribed to my newsletter you’ll probably know that I have been working on the Jägerstock as promised in the interview. Reinier’s book that includes the Jägerstock is: The Martial Arts of Georg Johann Pascha. There's also a free translation of the Jägerstock mater…
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Apr 22, 2022
Rocket Science and Cosmic Washing Machines, with Naziyah Mahmood
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/rocket-science-and-cosmic-washing-machines-with-naziyah-mahmood/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Naziyah Mahmood is a Scottish astrophysicist, aerospace engineer, aspiring citizen astronaut, STEM ambassador, model, writer, and artist. And of course, she’s mad about swords. In our conversation we talk about Naziyah’s love for the Eastern sword arts, primarily Haidong Gumdo. But there’s a diversion into Ancient Roman twin-sword-wielding gladiators…
We also talk about training with a visual impairment, being underestimated, and the importance of self-expression.
Here is a link to Naziyah’s film, A New Beginning, produced with Lee Fletcher Photography. There are swords, lightsabers and an absolutely freezing Scottish castle backdrop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbOA6itSiZM
Where to find Naziyah:
Blog: https://naziyahmahmood.word…
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Apr 15, 2022
Living the Nobler Dream, with Christian Tobler
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/living-the-nobler-dream-with-christian-tobler/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Christian Tobler is a chivalric combat instructor and author of many books, including Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship, which launched the study of Liechtenauer in the Anglosphere. He also wrote Fighting with German Longsword, In St. George's Name: an Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts, In Service of the Duke, and many more. Not to mention his latest, which is Lance, Spear, Sword and Messer, a German Medieval Martial Arts Miscellany.
In 1979, Christian and Carl Johnson founded one of the earliest historical martial arts organisations, The Order of Selohaar, a mystic order of chivalry, to try to answer the philosopher and polymath John Ruskin’s famous question, “Might we not live a nobler dream than this?”. The order is “dedicated to the pres…
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Apr 8, 2022
Episode 100: Duelling and a Day in the Life of Guy Windsor
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/duelling-and-a-day-in-the-life-of-guy/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Welcome to episode 100 of The Sword Guy Podcast! In this special episode, Ariel Anderssen (episode 93) interviews Guy about a whole load of stuff, including how Guy got into swords in the first place, the vision up a Scottish mountain that told him to open his school in Helsinki, injuries from duelling, Guy’s best ever sword fight, feminism, getting through the pandemic, and learning to fly. Ariel also asks Guy about his typical week – so if you have ever wondered how Guy spends his time, have a listen.
Here are some photos from the infamous head wound incident:
Thank you for listening, we hope you have enjoyed the last one hundred episodes. If you have enjoyed any of the conversations so far, please do leave a rating and review on your podcast platform, as it really…
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Apr 1, 2022
A Two-Handed Sword to Fight a Griffin, with Marie Powell
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/a-two-handed-sword-to-fight-a-griffin-with-marie-powell/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
It’s episode 99 of The Sword Guy Podcast! Next week we have a special 100th edition, so look out for that. While you’re waiting, you can enjoy this week’s episode with writer, journalist, editor and author, Marie Powell.
Marie lives in Canada, but a search for her Welsh heritage inspired her to write her latest sword and sorcery epic, The Last of the Gifted. It is based on the events of 1282-1283 in Wales, when the last true Prince of Wales, Llywelyn of Aberffraw, was murdered by the English. His head was chopped off and sent to the king, Edward I, but nobody knows quite who killed him. There are several other mysteries surrounding the story, which we cover in our conversation, and we also talk about swords (both magical and historical), the Unicorn…
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Mar 25, 2022
Mastering Movement with Dan Edwardes
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mastering-movement-with-dan-edwardes/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dan Edwardes is a parkour coach and teacher of teachers. He's a founding member and executive director of Parkour Generations, an international organisation of Parkour Instructors with schools all over the world. He's also the author of The Parkour and Free Running Handbook.
Dan also has a background as a swordsman. He lived in Japan for five years, and was one of very few westerners to train at the Katori Shinto-ryu, the oldest and most respected sword school in Japan. It’s the only school that still requires you to do the blood oath, the Keppan, which you can hear about in this episode.
Parkour is seen by many as pretty dangerous, but Dan explains the difference between danger and risk, and how he has had to retrain people’s perceptions of parkour. We also find out w…
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Mar 18, 2022
The Last Duel, or was it? With Ariella Elema
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-last-duel-or-was-it-with-ariella-elema/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr Ariella Elema is a finder of the forgotten, the hidden and the obscure. She's an academic and archivist and an armizare practitioner in Toronto. Her Ph.D. thesis, Trial by Battle in France and England, should give you some clue as to why I invited her on the show. But it also won the Canadian Society of Medievalists’ Leonard Boyle dissertation prize, which is very impressive.
In our conversation we talk about trial by combat, trial by ordeal, and the film, The Last Duel. Was it actually the last duel? There are some fascinating insights from Ariella on how a trial by combat would come about, who got to participate in such trials, and how they didn’t necessarily end with any fighting taking place. You need to listen to hear Guy’s take on the German version of…
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Mar 11, 2022
Frog DNA and Indonesia with Pradana
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/frog-dna-and-indonesia-with-pradana/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Pradana Pandu Mahardhika lives in Bandung, Indonesia. He describes himself as a freelance translator/interpreter, amateur tailor, and professional procrastinator. In this episode we talk about how Pradana set up a historical martial arts club, Gwaith-i-Megyr, which was founded in 2016. He had been fencing as part of an informal group for a while, but when he decided to get some wooden swords made up, he found that the enthusiasm was really high, mainly from members of the Tolkien society. There are only three or four formal clubs in the whole of Indonesia, so it is still a small scene, and growth has of course been stalled by Covid.
We have an interesting chat about languages. Did you know the formal variety of Indonesian has no tenses? Pradana is fluent in four languages, b…
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Mar 4, 2022
Laser Focus, Thought Control, and Jousting with Sarah Hay
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 95
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/laser-focus-thought-control-and-jousting-episode95/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Sarah Hay has been jousting since 2008. Just ten years later she won the Queen's Jubilee Horn at the Royal Armouries’ Easter jousting tournament in Leeds. In this episode we find out how Sarah’s passion for jousting came about, her background with horses, getting your own armour, and the vital role that mindset plays in her success.
Sarah casually dropped into conversation that she “controls her thoughts”, and we dig a little deeper into this. It’s a useful listen if you are interested in improving your performance in any area, or just looking to get rid of that negative voice inside your head.
If you would like to see pictures of Sarah in her armour and taking part in tournaments, check out her Instragram @sarahjou…
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Feb 25, 2022
Harps and Sharps with Andrew Lawrence-King
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 94
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/harps-and-sharps-episode94/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Andrew Lawrence-King is a historical musician, harpist, continuo player, baroque opera director, winner of a Grammy in the category of best small ensemble performance. He is also a rapier fencer and Tai Chi practitioner. And I should mention his crowning professional achievement is, of course, providing the harp music for my George Silver Paradoxes of Defence audiobook.
In our conversation we talk about the similarities between researching historical music and historical martial arts. We discuss the search for the one, perfect instrument and the challenges of recreating historically accurate music or swordplay using instruments/swords made with modern techniques.
We also talk about the benefits of getting involved in music or martial arts for th…
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Feb 18, 2022
Startling Burglars with Ariel Anderssen
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 93
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/startling-burglars-with-ariel-anderssen/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ariel Anderssen is a model, actor, author, property investor and is perhaps best known for her career as a BDSM model and performer. She is also mad about swords, both for using in stage fight and for collecting.
We cover a lot in this conversation, including talking about whether stage combat or martial arts training would be any use in a “real life” fight, and how Ariel sees BDSM and sword fighting as virtually indistinguishable from one another. After all, they both often involve black leather and giving someone a good thrashing…
Photos:
Guy’s 1796 pattern cavalry sabre:
Guy’s smallsword:
Here is the link to the Zorro movie with the superb fight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB8tiSMCwRE
To find out more about Ariel,…
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Feb 11, 2022
Monte with Mike
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 92
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monte-with-mike-episode92/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Mike Prendergast is the founder and head instructor of the Historical Combat Academy in Dublin and translator of Pietro Monte’s Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea, which is otherwise known as the Collection of Renaissance, Military Arts and Exercises. He also teaches in an SCA group called Dun in Mara.
In our conversation we talk about how you don’t have to be an expert or a professional teacher to set up your own club, which is something many of you may be interested to hear about.
We then get into talking about Pietro Monte – who he was, what he taught and how he died. Mike has been working on translating the Exercitiorum and his 2018 draft of the translation can be found at www.mikeprendergast.ie/monte. The complete version will…
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Feb 4, 2022
Forged in fire, quenched in oil. With Stephanie Aiuto
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 91
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/forged-in-fire-quenched-in-oil-episode91/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Stephanie Aiuto lives in New York and began her career with blades as a sport fencer, competing at a national level in sabre, until she had to stop because she wore away all the cartilage in her toes. To fill the void the lack of sabre left in her life she took up knife making, and now works at Nazz Forge in Brooklyn, when she’s not doing her sensible day job.
Stephanie’s website is Aiuto Knives and Swords, where you can see examples of her work. She’s also on Instagram at @aiutoknivesandswords.
Here we have pictures of Guy’s pattern welded longsword, set of Narex Richter chisels and his Sgian Dhu:
Chisels are from https://www.classichandtools.com/
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Jan 28, 2022
Swords in the Movies with Peter Lyon
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 90
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swords_in_the_movies_episode90/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Peter Lyon is a swordsmith and weapons maker from New Zealand. He originally started out making swords to use in medieval re-enactment in the 1980s, and was asked to make the swords for the Lord of the Rings movies. Since then Peter has worked on many other film productions with Wētā Workshop including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Hobbit trilogy, The Last Samurai, and Avatar.
In this fascinating conversation Peter explains some of the tricks and behind the scenes detail about making swords as movie props. You will look at weapons in films in a whole different light after this.
Here’s a picture of Boromir’s sword, which we talk about in the episode, and if you click on this link it’ll take you to the Wētā webs…
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Jan 21, 2022
Wooden Weapons and Wing Chun with Carina Cirrincione
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 89
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/wooden-weapons-and-wing-chun-episode89/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This week’s episode is with Carina Cirrincione of Raven Studios, based in Oracle, Arizona. Carina makes wooden training weapons such as longsword wasters, rondel daggers, and implements for Eastern martial arts. She's also a Tai Chi and Wing Chun practitioner and instructor.
We talk about woodwork, Eastern martial arts, turning a hobby into a business and the challenges involved.
Photos to accompany this episode
This is Guy’s little chest of drawers:
Here’s a photo of a pair of Carina’s Wing Chun Bot Jaam Do, or butterfly swords:
And this is a wooden dummy used in Wing Chun, which Carina describes making:
You can find all Carina’s products at www.little-raven.com and if you’re in the Oracle area and want to train in Wing…
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Jan 14, 2022
A Whole Lot of Tasty Bolognese with Joshua Wiest
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 88
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/bolognese-episode88/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Joshua Wiest is an instructor at the Triangle Sword Guild, North Carolina, USA. He focuses on the fighting systems of masters Achilles Marozzo, Giovanni dall’Agocchie, Antonio Manciolino, and Camillo Palladini. He's also a successful tournament fencer and host of the historical martial arts podcast l’Arte dell Armi.
In this bumper episode we take a deep dive into these rockstars of 16th century Italian fencing. If you want to know anything about Bolognese fencing, this is the podcast for you.
Here is a link to the Talhoffer treatises on Wiktenauer, as promised.
Joshua’s YouTube channel is here. He is in the process of posting videos for all of Lignitzer's Sword and Buckler plays at the moment, but he managed to get the Palladini play shot for you he…
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Jan 7, 2022
Ballet for Swordfighters with Anna Beard
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 87
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/ballet-for-swordfighters-episode87/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Anna Beard is a historical dancing and ballet and historical fencing instructor at Austin Historical Weapons Guild. She has been dancing since she was four and went on to get her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Dance from the University of Michigan, followed by teaching in studios, and running her own projects, performances and small dance companies. A move to Texas in 2018 ignited a passion for HEMA that has led to her becoming a co-owner of the Austin Historical Weapons Guild.
Anna’s 20 years of teaching dance have given her a love and deep understanding of pedagogy and in our conversation we talk about training teachers and how to teach children or adults. She has taught workshops at events like Swordsquatch on ballet for swordfighters, renais…
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Dec 31, 2021
The Two-Handed Sword with Neil Melville, and a Review of the Year
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 86
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/two-handed-swords-episode86/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Hello Sword People! Welcome to the Sword Guy podcast. This is your host, Dr Guy Windsor, consulting swordsman, teacher, and writer. Join me for interviews with historical fencing instructors and experts from a wide range of related disciplines, as we discuss swords, history, training, and bringing the joy of historical martial arts into our modern lives.
As this show is going out on the last day of 2021, I thought I’d share some thoughts about the year gone by, and some ideas for the year ahead. All the links and information can be found in the blog post on my website.
Then, we welcome Neil Melville, author of The Two-Handed Sword History, Design and Use. So of course we talk about two-handed swords. How do we decide what is a true two-handed swo…
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Dec 24, 2021
The Mathematics of Fencing with Pamela Muir
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 85
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-mathematics-of-fencing-episode85/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Pamela Muir is the founder of the Academy of Chivalric Martial Arts in Arlington, Virginia. She's been doing historical martial arts since about 2003, and I've met her at several events. In this episode we talk about theoretical maths, Liechtenauer, chivalry, and representation for women in HEMA. Pamela also talks about the adult education class she teaches on historical fencing, and what a popular class it has turned out to be.
A couple of things we said would be in the show notes: The Mike Loades interview is episode 48, and it was Dori Coblentz in episode 67 who suggested that there ought to be free childcare at all events.
The web page for Pamela’s Academy of Chivalric Martial Arts is https://academychivalricma.org/ And also on Faceb…
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Dec 17, 2021
Katanas and Koryu with Jaredd Wilson
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 84
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/katanas-and-koryu-episode84/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This week’s episode is with Jaredd Wilson. Jaredd is the host of the Martial Thoughts podcast, which I appeared on back in January. You can find a link to our “The Pen is Mightier than the Podcast” episode here, or on Stitcher or iTunes. In today’s conversation we talk about what prompted Jaredd to start up the podcast, and the joy of getting to interview interesting people.
Jaredd is also a presenter at CombatCon and a long time practitioner of Japanese swordsmanship and other martial arts. We talk about how Japanese martial arts have evolved over the years and how training works. The conversation also take a slightly unlikely turn when we end up talking about a potential foray into the manufacture of high fashion silk ties.
You can find T…
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Dec 10, 2021
Swordsmanship is Woodwork, with Shanee Nishry
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 83
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swordsmanship-is-woodwork-episode83/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Shanee Nishry is a historical martial arts instructor and founder of Stratford Swords, which is in Stratford-upon-Avon in the West Midlands of England. She's also a software engineer in the games industry. We first interacted when she posted some photos of a very ambitious woodworking projects she's working on, because I'm a complete woodworking nerd and it turns out that Shanee is turning into one too.
A couple of woodworking YouTube links for you:
Xyla Foxlin’s impossible table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk1l9tIjbEs
More woodworking ideas from Tamar 3X3 Custom: https://www.youtube.com/c/3x3CustomTamar
We also talk about the swordsmanship community and a project Shanee would like to complete which would bring together the communi…
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Dec 3, 2021
Your Challenge for December
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 82
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/your-challenge-for-december-episode82/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Hello Sword People, and welcome to the final monthly challenge of the year. This one is a little different.
Before I introduce it, let me just refresh your memory about what the challenges are. Basically, they are alternatives to New Year's resolutions because I don't like New Year's resolutions very much, and the challenges so far this year have been: breaking a habit, adding a habit, sleeping - in other words, how to sleep better, food, (so eating better,) learning a new skill, working on stamina, working on strength, working on range of motion, working on footwork and working on striking. Now you may very well suppose that this month's challenge will have something to do with perhaps, well, we've done striking, let's have a look at thro…
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Nov 26, 2021
Orcs in Space and Swords in a Suitcase with Edoardo Albert
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 81
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/orcs_in_space_episode81/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Content warning: Within this podcast are descriptions of the horrific neglect of very elderly swords.
Edoardo Albert is a London-based writer who writes about Britain in the early medieval period (between the Romans leaving and the Normans arriving), the 40th millennium in the Warhammer universe, and lots of other things besides. Find out more by visiting his website. This podcast is different to usual format in that Edoardo contacted me with a question, and rather than reply by email, I got him on the podcast instead.
We talk about the research project at Bamburgh castle in Northumbria, which sparked Edoardo’s interest in the early medieval period. If you’ve never visited, please do, because it truly is the most impressive castle.
Edoardo’s que…
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Nov 19, 2021
Asian and African Arms and Armour with Natasha Bennett
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 80
Photo credit: The Royal Armouries
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/asian-and-african-arms-and-armour-episode80/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Natasha Bennett is the Curator of Oriental Collections at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, working with the Asian and African collections. These include an enormous spread of arms and armour mostly dating from between the 14th and 20th centuries, so her research interests are necessarily wide-ranging. She has presented specialist study sessions and seminars on mounted warfare in Asia, South Asian arms and armour, Islamic arms and armour, Asian swords, and textiles in Japanese armour.
In our conversation we talk about guns, specifically the “15 Rupee Jezail” and how the popularity of the matchlock mechanism persisted because of its simplicity and functionality, even when elsewhere in the world newer…
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Nov 12, 2021
Medieval Myths, the Mindsword, and Mounted Combat with Jason Kingsley
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 79
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-myths-mindsword-mounted-combat-episode79/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This episode is with Jason Kingsley OBE, co-founder and CEO of the games company Rebellion Developments, which also owns 2000 AD. And he's the man behind the YouTube channel Modern History TV starring his horse Warlord, which goes into depth and detail regarding many aspects of medieval life, most notably combat and horsemanship, but also aspects of daily life.
We talk about misconceptions people have about medieval warfare, life, and horsemanship, and how Jason busts some of the myths on Modern History TV. We also chat about how Jason came to start a videogames company, create a YouTube channel and his role as the owner/custodian of 2000AD and the Treasury of British Comics.
Here are a couple of YouTube videos to get started…
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Nov 5, 2021
Improve your striking in November
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 78
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/improve-your-striking-in-november/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Your challenge for November is to improve your striking. Really, what we are looking at more than anything else is your precision and accuracy, which you can apply to any domain. Someone who drives a car might look at the smoothness of their gear changes, or the precision with which they take a corner. There is no domain in life that this cannot be applied to. Of course, as sword people, we will tend to apply it to swords first, but it is no bad thing to let it leak out into other areas of your life.
Whether you are striking with a fist, a foot, a stick, or a sword, there are fundamental components in common. I’ll cover these in this episode, along with ideas for training, equipment you can utilise, and the use of forms.
The bulk of this ep…
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Oct 29, 2021
Strategy and War with Lynette Nusbacher
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 77
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/strategy-and-war-episode77/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Lynette Nusbacher is a Strategist and Devil’s Advocate. Her work has included being a logistics officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, a writer of books such as Bannockburn 1314, a lecturer at Reading University, the senior intelligence advisor to the UK Government Cabinet Office, as well as a TV presenter of various military history shows, and she now runs a management consulting company, Nusbacher and Associates. Of course, most importantly from my perspective, she is also a historical martial arts instructor.
Our conversation covers military strategy, government policy, Clausewitz, Iraq and Afghanistan. We do bring all this back to HEMA and talk about the difference between strategy and tactics and how this applies to fencing. You might also…
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Oct 22, 2021
Armour of the English Knight, with Tobias Capwell
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 76
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/armour-of-the-english-knight-episode76/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr Tobias Capwell has a lifelong love of arms and armour, since being taken to the Met Museum in New York as a small child. He has made this passion into a career and is now the curator of Arms and Armour at the Wallace Collection in London. We talk about how he got the job as a museum curator, including offering his services to the Met Museum at the tender age of twelve.
If you are in the vicinity of London and are interested in seeing the wonderful Wallace Collection, or if you are far away but want to check out the online content, have a look on their website. And here is a video by Toby from The Wallace Collection, Armour as Renaissance Art.
In our conversation Toby tells us how he came to be one of two mounted knights in armour esc…
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Oct 15, 2021
YouTube by Lauren Danger Adventure Ranger
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 75
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/youtube-lauren-danger-episode75/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Lauren Shaw is from Calgary, Canada and is a founder of the Calgary Fellowship of the Sword, where they practice 14th – 19th century martial arts, including longsword, sword and buckler, and - since Covid social distancing rules came in - quarterstaff.
Lauren is also known for her YouTube videos as Lauren Danger Adventure Ranger, where Lauren posts videos on just about every single historical martial arts topic imaginable, and each one of them starts with a rhyme. We talk about Lauren’s skill for rhyming and why she includes them in her videos, as well as her passion for welcoming people into the HEMA world.
The answer to the usual question of “what would you do with a million pounds to improve historical martial arts worldwide?” is one…
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Oct 8, 2021
Hope and Black Powder with Dr. Milo Thurston
The Sword Guy Podcast Episode 74
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/hope-and-black-powder-episode74/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Milo Thurston is the founder of the Linacre School of Defence in Oxford, UK. He’s an absolute bastard with a single stick and a leading expert in the work of Sir William Hope. In our conversation we talk about the essence of Hope’s New Method of Fencing and what is so good about it.
We also talk about Napoleonic battle reenactment, being late to class, Ken Monschein’s PhD, and why Milo would use Guy’s imaginary millions to pay off his mortgage.
Milo’s books:
A Newer, Shorter and Easier Method of Fencing
Defence in the Street: Translated from Jean-Joseph Renaud's La Defense dans la Rue (Amazon Kindle edition)
Link to The Linacre School of Defence, which has Hope’s works and poetry, plus works from other masters from the period.
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Oct 1, 2021
Your October Challenge: Improve Your Footwork!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/october-challenge-episode73/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today’s episode is your October Challenge. This year I have been setting a different challenge every month, as I really don't like New Year's resolutions, and it struck me that there was an opportunity for self-development and self-improvement that we were missing by making these nebulous resolutions at pretty much the worst point in the year to make any kind of changes. It's right after Christmas and if you're in the northern hemisphere, it’s in the middle of winter. Not a great time to be trying to make a resolution that's going to last all year. So instead, we have a different challenge every month.
So far we have looked at breaking and making habits, prioritising sleep, prioritising food, learning a new skill, stamina and strength. Last month we looked at improving our range…
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Sep 24, 2021
Viruses and Bats with Emilia Skirmuntt
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 72
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/viruses-and-bats-episode72/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Emilia Skirmuntt runs the Oxford branch of The School of the Sword, and in this episode we talk about running a school with different branches and specialisations, and improving diversity and inclusivity within historical martial arts schools.
Emilia is also a virologist at the University of Oxford, which brings up some topical questions about a certain virus. We talk about her fascinating research into virus-like genes in bat genomes and some truly game-changing theories about memories and consciousness.
Emilia has started a cookery blog, called The Corgi, The Princess and The Kitchen, which we also chat about in the podcast. The molecular gastronomy book that Guy refers to is: On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen by Harold McG…
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Sep 17, 2021
Talking Tempo with Guy and Cornelius
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 71
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/talking-tempo-episode71/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today’s episode is a bit different to the usual format. Dr Cornelius Berthold, who is a well-known historical fencing instructor in Hamburg, Germany, contacted me because he is doing a series of YouTube videos on the topic of tempo and had some questions for me.
We had never met or spoken before, but Cornelius very kindly agreed to have the discussion in the form of a podcast, so that you all can listen in to two absolute tempo geeks geeking out about tempo.
Here’s a link to Cornelius’s fencing school in Hamburg, Dimicator Schola, and the Dimicator Schola YouTube channel.
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Sep 10, 2021
Guns, blood and swords with RC-Annie
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 70
Rachel Bown-Williams
Ruth Cooper-Brown
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/guns-blood-and-swords-episode70/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ruth Cooper-Brown and Rachel Bown-Williams are the founders of RC-Annie, the UK’s leading dramatic violence company, specialising in training, fight direction and intimacy direction for stage and screen. They hire out guns and swords (not to just anyone!) They are also purveyors of fake blood; thick or thin, “splat or spurt”, depending on your needs.
When creating a fight, Ruth and Rachel like it to look real and messy and painful, and in our conversation we talk about good fight scenes and bad, and why so many films show great unarmed combat, but are absolutely terrible as soon as the actor picks up a weapon. We also talk about sex, or rather what intimacy direction is for, and the difference betwe…
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Sep 6, 2021
September Challenge: Range of Motion
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monthly-challenge-get-more-flexible-in-september/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Your challenge this month is to engage with your ranges of motion. Much of this episode is adapted from my new book The Windsor Method: The Principles of Solo Training.
You can follow along with a pre-recorded flexibility-based training session at:
Guywindsor.net/hamstrings
Guywindsor.net/trainalong
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Sep 3, 2021
Love poems to Welsh bucklers, with Paul Wagner
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 69
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/love-poems-to-welsh-bucklers-episode69/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Paul Wagner has been involved in historical swordsmanship since the 1990s, and was present at the first night of the Stoccata School of Defence in 1998, a HEMA school which now has several branches in Australia. Paul is a Provost at Stoccata, teaching courses in Single Sword according to George Silver, Highland Broadsword according to Thomas Page, Sword and Buckler according to I.33, Rapier according to Joseph Swetnam, English quarterstaff and English longsword. He has written many books and articles on the subject too.
This week’s episode is a must-listen for all sorts of talk about about bum daggers, Swetnam the woman hater, fighting while half drunk, or how you could go about leaving your body to HEMA.
But first, here’s a link to…
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Aug 27, 2021
Classical Fencing and Digital Pedagogy with Dori Coblentz
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 67
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/classical-fencing-digital-pedagogy-episode67/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This week’s episode is with Dr Dori Coblenz, lecturer in Communications at Georgia Tech, specialising in early modern English drama, digital pedagogy and the history of fencing. She's the author of many papers and the book Fundamentals of Italian Rapier: a modern manual for teachers and students of historical fencing, with David Coblentz.
In our conversation we talk about the differences between classical Italian fencing and historical fencing. Dori’s passion is for teaching teachers, geeking out about sources and how we apply that to teaching contexts.
When it comes to swords, is there is anything at all that is better taught online than in person? Dori makes some great points about the benefits of online teaching, and has so…
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Aug 20, 2021
Swashbuckling with Sebastien de Castell
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 66
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swashbuckling-episode66/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Sebastien de Castell lives a life of music, adventure and swordplay. He is the author of the Greatcoats series, which is full of sword action, and the Spellslinger series, which features magic finger guns!
For all Sebastien’s books, see here: https://decastell.com/all-books/
In this episode we talk about how to write a great sword fight for stage, screen and literature, including these two classic scenes:
* Inigo and Westley in The Princess Bride
* The first duel in The Duellists
Sebastien’s ulterior motive for coming on the podcast was to ask Guy’s opinion on how a rapier might be modified to contain a pistol. Have a listen and see if you agree or have a better idea of how it could be done.
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Aug 13, 2021
The Armoured Knight, with Dr Amanda Taylor
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 65
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-armoured-knight-episode65/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dr. Amanda Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Oakeshott Institute and a Research Affiliate at the Center for Early Modern History, University of Minnesota. She is the author of several academic papers such as The Body of Law: Bodies, Combat and Rhetoric in Sir Thomas Mallory's Quest for Justice and the forthcoming Domesticating War: Women, Medicine and Military Activity in Premodern Europe. She has presented at conferences on topics such as martial women and political power in Shakespeare's history plays and battlefield wounds and treatment in English and Italian sixteenth century epic romances and surgical practise. As well as all that, she works for a medical equipment company.
In our conversation we cover lady knights, battlefield wounds, PTSD…
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Aug 6, 2021
Tales from the National Fencing Museum, with Malcolm Fare
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 64
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
My interview today is with Malcolm Fare, who is a collector of historical fencing books, a fencer himself and proprietor of the National Fencing Museum in the UK. The museum houses a library of over 300 books, 250 paintings and prints, 200 weapons, numerous masks, kit, trophies, posters, programmes, medals, stamps, postcards and other ephemera. You can click through on the museum’s website to see photos of the items.
In 2017 I spent three days at the National Fencing Museum with a decent camera and a book-photography rig, taking hi-res images of the cream of their amazing collection of treatises, with the kind assistance of James Hester, and Malcolm himself. Here is a link to the Senese: https://guywindsor.net/2018/06/the-last-of-the-bolognese-seneses-the-true-handling-of-the-sword-yours-free/ and De La Tou…
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Jul 30, 2021
Drawing swords with Yael Nathan
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 62
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/drawing-swords-episode62/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Yael Nathan is a comic artist who draws swords as part of her Warriors series. She has also worked with IDW on several Star Wars comics. Find her work at https://elcomics.gumroad.com/# and https://yaeln.com.
Yael is also the author of the Serpent webcomic. https://tapas.io/series/Serpent/info and https://www.facebook.com/SerpentWebcomic Serpent is the story of a girl born into a guild that does not accept her, in a land where women are no more than property. Through determination and deceit, she leaves her home and infiltrates the assassin’s guild, rises up through the ranks to become the king’s personal assassin; only to be betrayed and extradited to the enemy land of Dane, where she’ll fall in love and help bring about a revolution in her home…
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Jul 28, 2021
Your Challenge for August: Get Stronger!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/your-challenge-for-august-get-stronger/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Your challenge for August is to get stronger, following the principles of conditioning as described in Guy Windsor's new book, The Windsor Method. In this episode Guy reads the chapter aloud for you (with minor changes).
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Jul 23, 2021
Steven Pressfield on Spartans, Romans and Hollywood
The Sword Guy Podcast Episode 61
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/steven-pressfield-episode-61/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Steven Pressfield is the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Gates of Fire, The War of Art, and many other novels and non-fiction titles about writing. His latest book is A Man at Arms, and he has a YouTube channel in which he investigates the warrior archetype.
In our conversation we discuss what it takes to become an overnight success. We also talk about writing about Spartans, what a sword actually is, the rules of war and what happens when those rules are broken.
Steven has written film scripts for both Steven Seagal and Dolph Lundgren (amongst others). Listen to this episode to find out who he thinks would win in a fight between the two men.
A Man At Arms is Steven’s new book. We talk about this, of course, and the MacGuffin in the s…
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Jul 16, 2021
Pirates and Batons with Julie Olson
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/pirates-and-batons-episode60/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This week’s guest is Julie Olson, senior instructor at the Athena School of Arms in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a director of the Iron Gate Exhibition, the largest New England historical martial arts event. She's also well-known on the longsword tournament circuit. Julie was placed 7th in the Longsword Triathlon at Longpoint 2019, the highest ranking woman in that event. In our chat we get into the nitty gritty of running a club and competing in tournaments.
We also talk about Julie’s really fun idea of creating a pirate ship LARP and her current favourite niche weapon, the Italian baton from Giuseppe Cerri’s 1854 treatise. Here's the playlist Julie mentions in the show from Zsolt Sander: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFo_vW1NCyGRA1xWzn5fqn6PI_lV2mKQE You can clearl…
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Jul 9, 2021
Who whacked Talhoffer? With Dierk Hagedorn
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 59
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/who-whacked-talhoffer-epsiode59/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
This episode is with Dierk Hagedorn, who is something of a legend in our community. He is a translator and author of very many books. Last summer he had seven new books on the go at once. Dierk has translated and produced scholarly editions of Gladiatoria and Lecküchner’s Messer fencing treatise, Peter von Danzig’s manuscript, Albrecht Dürer, and many more.
Last year, when Dierk was working on a translation and transcription with Christian Tobler, he discovered a passage which somebody had taken great pains to try and erase. With a lot of detective work and perseverance, he discovered that the deleted passage referred to Hans Talhoffer being sliced in the hand and whacked on the head. We discuss why it might have been deleted, and why it w…
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Jul 2, 2021
Lightsaber Twirling with Jill Bearup
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 58
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/lightsaber-twirling-episode58/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jill Bearup is a stage combatant, YouTuber and a lightsaber twirler. I first came across her work through her YouTube channel critiquing swordfights in TV and movies, which is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRrvZqCL1YsqRA8IpXrhYQQ. Jill loves pretending to fight people on stage and screen and her videos cover how a good fight can add to the story being told, and also, in case you need it, how to sword fight in a dress.
You can find her online at www.patreon.dot.com/JillBearup and her website is www.jillbearup.com.
In our conversation we talk a lot about Star Wars and lightsabers. The lightsabers Jill has are from Saberzone www.saberzonecosplay.com.
To watch the Kylo Ren and Rey Throne Room fight with all that random twirling from the Red…
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Jun 30, 2021
Monthly Challenge: breathe better in July
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/monthly-challenge-breathe-better-in-july-the-sword-guy-episode-57/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Your monthly challenge for July 2021: breathe better.
For more on this subject, please see The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts, also available as an audiobook read by Kelley Costigan. Or the try my online course, Fundamentals: Breathing, which covers much of my breathing practice. It’s included with the monthly subscription package, and with the Solo Training course. The first class is available as part of my free Human Maintenance course.
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Jun 25, 2021
Persian Martial Arts with Manouchehr Khorasani
Episode 56
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/persian-martial-arts-episode56/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani is a Frankfurt-based museum analyst, university professor, author of many books and over one hundred and eighty articles on the historical martial arts of Iran. He is a highly skilled martial artist and is currently waiting for the pandemic to be over so he can get his third Dan black belt in Kyokushin Karate.
Manouchehr is a highly skilled wrestler, and in this episode we talk about the importance of wrestling in Iranian culture, and how it is an integral part of his Razmafzar school of Iranian/Persian martial arts, which also uses swords, shields, knives, spears and bows.
https://youtu.be/Q-jOZRoOyR8 Here is a video of some of the weapons used in the Razmafzar system.
You can find Manouchehr online at https://www.moshtaghkhorasani.com…
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Jun 18, 2021
Shakespeare and Silver with Ben Crystal
The Sword Guy Podcast episode 55
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/shakespeare-and-silver-epsiode55/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ben Crystal is an actor, author, producer, and explorer of original practices in Shakespeare rehearsal and production. In this episode we talk about Ben’s work in exploring how actors would have rehearsed, staged, and performed Shakespeare’s plays in the 16th century, and how the original rhymes and pronunciation would have sounded. It makes for a completely different experience to what we think of as “Shakespearean” in modern times. Even if you aren’t into Shakespeare this is a fascinating conversation about theatre, memory, language, and of course, swords.
Which leads us on to George Silver. Find out what Ben thinks of Silver and whether he would have wanted to go to the pub with him. For those of you unaware of our project, in 1599…
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Jun 11, 2021
Movement Matters with Katy Bowman
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 54
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/movement-matters-with-katy-bowman/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Bestselling author, speaker, and a leader in the Movement movement, biomechanist Katy Bowman has been changing the way we move and think about our need for movement. Her eight books, including the groundbreaking “Move Your DNA” and “Movement Matters” have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Bowman teaches movement globally and speaks about sedentarism and movement ecology to academic and scientific audiences. Her work has been featured in diverse media such as the Today Show, CBC Radio One, the Seattle Times, and Good Housekeeping. One of Maria Shriver’s “Architects of Change” and an America Walks “Woman of the Walking Movement”, Katy has worked with companies like Patagonia, Nike and Google as well as…
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Jun 4, 2021
Turning the tables, with Guy and Jess
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 53
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/turning-the-tables-episode53/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
To celebrate a whole year of The Sword Guy Podcast, we are going right back to where it all began, with Jess Finley. Except this time the tables are turned and it’s Jess interviewing me! In our wide-ranging conversation we talk about my history of antiques restoration and starting a sword school. We also talk in depth about flipping hierarchies on their head to give students what they want, and how to deal with those rare students who roll their eyes at our teaching. Jess also gets to ask the now very familiar question: "What’s the best idea you have never acted upon?”
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Jun 1, 2021
Challenge of the Month: meditate in June
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/challenge-of-the-month-meditate-in-june/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
For a free meditation class, see: https://swordschool.teachable.com/p/free-courses-human-maintenance-longsword-rapier
And check out the Paradoxes of Defence audiobook here: guywindsor.net/silver
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May 28, 2021
The Sparkle School, with Claire Wemyss
Episode 52
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-sparkle-school-episode52/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Claire Wemyss lives in Vancouver and is a coach, educator, and co-founder of Kunst des Funkelns, which focusses on the martial arts of medieval Germany and runs from Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly. In this episode, Claire describes how she and her training partner Jon Mills came up with the name of Kunst des Funkelns, her love for the Messer, and why play-based learning is so important.
Claire is also an ADHD coach, and towards the end of our conversation, she describes how coaches can best work with neurodivergent students, and how neurodivergent students themselves can self-advocate to ensure they get the most out of the learning environment.
Useful links:
* Kunst des Funkelns on Instagram.
* I said in the episode I would post a link to Foametheus Forge,…
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May 21, 2021
Mines and Mimeographs, with Steven Muhlberger
Episode 51
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mines-and-mimeographs-episode51/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Professor Steven Muhlberger is an absolute legend in the historical martial arts community and is a 50 year veteran of the SCA. In this episode we talk about the very early days of the SCA, and how newsletters were vital in spreading the word.
His books are foundationally important for anyone who is studying medieval martial arts, and they include Deeds of Arms, Jousts and Tournaments, Formal Combat in the Fourteenth Century, Royal Jousts, Murder, Rape and Treason: Judicial Combat in the Late Middle Ages and all sorts of other titles too. You can find more information at http://smuhlberger.weebly.com/
As you can see from the list of book titles, Steven is something of an expert in chivalric combat in the 14th century, and in our conversation he describes some that t…
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May 19, 2021
Silver’s Paradoxes- in glorious audio!
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/paradoxes-of-defence-in-audio/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
guywindsor.net/silver
In 1599 George Silver, gentleman, published his Paradoxes of Defence, which lambastes the outlandish (i.e. foreign) Italian rapier fencing that was becoming popular in England, and offers an extraordinary window into the medieval martial arts that the rapier was superceding.
Whatever you think about Silver, or rapier fencing, his book is simply essential reading for all historical martial artists. It is one of the few historical fencing sources that doesn't rely on images, so it struck me that it would make an excellent audiobook. Why not listen to Silver in the car, while cooking, doing housework, or whatever else?
And, why not have him read not only in our modern pronunciation, but also in Original pronunciation?
I hired Jonathan Hartman to do a modern n…
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May 14, 2021
Revolution, Cooking and Knitting with Monica Gaudio
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 50
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/revolution-cooking-knitting-episode50/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
It’s the 50th episode! This week I’m in conversation with Monica Gaudio, known in the SCA as Illadore de Bedegrayne, and she is a cook, fencer, Marshal, Seneschal, knitter, Laurel and Master of Defence. We get into what all those titles mean in the episode.
Monica has been studying medieval cookery for 30 years, with a mostly hands-on approach, i.e. trying to feed anywhere from 40 to 150 people at feast or dinner in the most "period" way possible. She is known for an internet furore concerning a plagiarised apple pie recipe, which kicked off a massive “nerd rage”. So much so, there is a Wikipedia page about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooks_Source_infringement_controversy
Here's the medieval cooking website that Monica mana…
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May 10, 2021
The Progression of Teacher Training in Swordschool
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-progression-of-teacher-training-in-swordschool/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Teaching well is a skill that can be learned. In this in-between-isode, I give you the key to teaching teachers.
If you have a student who has expressed an interest in teaching, how can you empower them to become a good teacher?
This episode covers essentials such as:
* Avoiding burnout
* Giving feedback
* How to teach and structure a class, take responsibility, and broaden their skills
This was prepared for one of my Coaches’ Corner sessions. Coaches’ Corner sessions are a monthly get together at 3pm (UK time) on the second Saturday of each month. Each session has a theme, and we have a discussion and Q&A session afterwards. It is a really useful environment for both those who are interested in teaching and those who have decades of experience. I…
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May 7, 2021
History is my playground, with Mike Loades
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 48
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mike-loades-episode48/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Best known as a television presenter and for his appearances as a historical weapons specialist and military historian in over one hundred tv documentaries, Mike also works as a tv director, a writer and as a consultant and film-maker for the video games industry. If you've been swinging swords, certainly in Britain at least, at any point in the last 30 years, you'll certainly have heard of him.
He has had three major books published, Swords and Swordsmen, War Bows and Dogs: Working Origins and Traditional Tasks, with more commissioned books in the pipeline (about horses). Other works include The Longbow, The Crossbow and The Composite Bow for Osprey and he was a primary contributor to The Worldwide History of Warfare (Thames and Hudson) and to ‘Master…
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May 3, 2021
Challenge of the Month: Learn a new skill in May
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/may-challenge-skill/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Last month’s challenge (Eat Well in April) was difficult for many people, mostly because food is such an emotional subject. Personally, I spent the month avoiding starch and sugar, which has helped with energy levels, weight management, and especially my reflux problem. I’ve also been adhering more closely to a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine, which is also better for my reflux.
The odd thing is that though the house is full of Nutella, chocolate (I haven’t had my easter eggs yet), crisps, bread, etc., it’s actually been really easy to stay off them. I don’t know why, but I think planning ahead and making sure that there were starch and sugar free alternatives ready beforehand was really helpful. I’m planning on relaxing things a bit (those easter eggs need eating) but keepin…
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Apr 30, 2021
People like us: the Middle Ages with Danièle Cybulskie
Episode 46
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/people-like-us-daniele-cybulskie-episode46/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
As a writer, professor, TEDx speaker, and podcaster, Danièle has been making the Middle Ages fun, entertaining, and accessible for over a decade. She is the author of Life in Medieval Europe: Fact and Fiction, and The Five-Minute Medievalist, which debuted at the top of Amazon’s Canadian charts, as well as the forthcoming How to Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Life. Through her featured articles at Medievalists.net, as well as those she’s written for several international magazines, Danièle’s work has reached over a million readers worldwide. Danièle is also the creator and host of The Medieval Podcast, a weekly show on which she interviews experts on the Middle Ages about a wide variety of topics.
In this episode, we share some of th…
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Apr 23, 2021
Swords and Historical Handcrafts, with Bill Grandy
Episode 45
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/swords-and-historical-handcrafts-episode45/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Bill Grandy is a long time professional historical martial arts instructor at the Virginia Academy of Fencing (VAF) in the United States, and also a historical handcrafter making beautiful scabbards and shields and things. Check out his website at www.historicalhandcrafts.com.
In this episode we talk about lots of different aspects of being a sword person, including teaching professionally and as an amateur; getting to play with antique swords and the work of the Oakeshott Institute; and owning Michael Chidester’s wonderful facsimiles of medieval manuscripts. We also talk about getting books written and published (or not), and how a sport fencing background influences your teaching of historical martial arts. There’s even more too - this episode really…
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Apr 16, 2021
Fire and Cauldrons, with Ruth Goodman
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 44
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fire-and-cauldrons-episode44/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Ruth Goodman is a social and domestic historian working with museums, theatre, television and educational establishments. She has presented and consulted on several highly successful television series for the BBC. She has also written several excellent books we'll be talking about today, including The Domestic Revolution, How to be a Tudor and How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England.
In this episode, Ruth and I talk about some of the lesser known, but nonetheless fascinating aspects of life in the Middle Ages, without what we think of “essential” cleaning products, or temperature controlled ovens. Yet people did get their clothes properly clean, and they were able to bake excellent cakes, pastries and bread. Ruth explains how they did this,…
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Apr 12, 2021
What is a Sword?
Episode 43
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/what-is-a-sword-episode43/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
What is a sword? When does a dagger become a sword? When does a sword become a spear? Can a boomerang even be a sword?
In a follow-up to my conversation with Australian martial artist and philosopher, Damon Young, this special episode picks up where episode 31 finishes, with a discussion where we try to come to an agreement on what a definition of a sword might be. If you have ever wondered about this very question, or already have your own definition in mind, have a listen and see if you agree with us!
Damon is the author of books like Philosophy in the Garden, and On Getting Off: Sex and Philosophy. He has also edited a couple of books on philosophy and martial arts: Engagement, Philosophy and the Martial Arts, and Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness.…
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Apr 8, 2021
Teaching Us to Sit Still with Tim Parks
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 42
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/sitting-still-episode42/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Tim Parks is a prolific novelist, non-fiction writer and translator and perhaps most importantly from my perspective, he wrote a fantastic memoir on getting into meditation, called Teach us to Sit Still. Those of you that train with me know that meditation is one of the core parts of my practise and in this episode Tim explains the circumstances that led to him going to his first meditation retreat, how it changes people, and how he does it.
Tim has lived in Italy for many years, and we also talk about translating texts and about horribly illegible Renaissance handwriting. Discussing his book, Medici Money, leads us into a fascinating digression about the meaning and morality of money.
To find out more about Tim Parks and his work, visit https://timpa…
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Apr 2, 2021
Writing and Walking, with Joanna Penn
Episode 41
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/writing-and-walking-episode41/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Joanna Penn is a writer (both fiction and non-fiction), podcaster and ultramarathon walker. She doesn’t do swords, or even a lot of history, but she has been a huge influence on my work and this podcast. We don’t talk about martial arts in this episode, but we do discuss physical training, accomplishing goals, and Joanna’s medieval-style pilgrimage from London’s Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral in Kent. That’s 182 km or 113 miles on foot. This took place in 2020, which was the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, and we discuss cadaver tombs, memento mori, and what taking such a very long walk teaches you. To read more about Joanna’s pilgrimage, see:
https://www.booksandtravel.page/pilgrimage-canterbury/
And a list of questions t…
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Mar 29, 2021
Your challenge for April
Eat Well.
Last month’s challenge was very simple: prioritise sleep. While sleep quality varies hugely, it’s still basically the same thing for everyone: there’s good sleep, there’s bad sleep, and there’s enough sleep or not. We all know what we mean by ‘sleep well’. But what do we mean by ‘eat well’? ‘Eat well’ is incredibly varied. Eat well for what? The challenge this month is simply this: pay attention to what you eat and why.
No area of human health is more riven with controversy and ill-feeling than discussions around what we eat. Very few people are actually rational about it, and I’m certainly not one of them.
You can optimise your diet for many different things, and they will all look different. Here are some common priorities, in no particular order:
1. Athletic performance in your chosen field. Should sprinters eat like marathon runners? Probably not.
2. Muscle gain. All serious bodybuilders have pretty strict diets, and are often eating far more…
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Mar 26, 2021
Jousting with Callum Forbes
Episode 40
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/jousting-episode40/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Callum Forbes is an extremely experienced martial artist, having got into sports fencing in the late ‘70s, and Hapkido from 1982. But then HEMA drew him in, both from a love of Dungeons and Dragons, and from a disillusionment with the ruleset of sports fencing.
In this, our 40th episode, Callum tells us all about jousting – how it works, how he trains, what sort of horses you need and how competitions are held. Since the mid ‘80s, Callum has been building up jousting tournaments in his native New Zealand, to the point where he hosts international tournaments. We discuss the challenges that brings, particularly when you are not a multimillionaire and can’t fly your own horse around the world with you. He also explains what a fantastically all-inclusive sport jousting is, s…
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Mar 19, 2021
An unconventional approach to HEMA, with Lauren Ings
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 39
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/unconventional-approach-to-hema-episode39/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Lauren Juliette Ings is an assistant instructor with the Stoccata School of Defence in Sydney, Australia, and is also a circus performer, a burlesque dancer and an actor.
In this episode we chat about making HEMA more appealing to women, the LGBTQI+ community, and people of different physical abilities. Lauren is hugely passionate about making HEMA more accessible, friendly and fun for all and her style of teaching is rather different from the “middle aged white dudes” of traditional historical fencing schools. We talk about what we can do to get that first woman in through the door, and how important representation is in our schools, books, and materials.
You can find Lauren on Instagram @La.Petite.Morticia. (Nudity warning!)
T…
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Mar 12, 2021
Portuguese Party Weapons with Jessica Gomes
The Sword Guy Podcast, episode 38
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/portuguese-party-weapons-episode38/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jessica Gomes runs her own club, the Velha Guarda Marcial, in beautiful Sintra, Portugal. She focuses on Fiore’s system, Capoferro rapier, and Portuguese staff fighting, Jogo do Pau. Jessica explains what this Iberian “party weapon” is all about, and how it influences and complements training with other systems.
There are some pictures of the Portuguese staffs here, with English translation: https://www.jogodopau.pt/category/media/fotos/feiras-e-romarias/
We talk about teaching different weapons systems alongside one another, such as Jogo do Pau and rapier, and how you keep them separate… or not. There is also lots of advice in this episode for anyone thinking of setting up their own club. We discuss the cultural side of HEMA and ho…
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Mar 5, 2021
Medieval swords and research, with James Hester
Episode 37
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-swords-and-research-episode37/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
James Hester has been involved with HEMA since the age of 15, when he began performing fight shows throughout New England. He then set his course as an academic and educator, working in museums before completing an MA in Medieval Studies in the UK. He then joined the Royal Armouries Museum, rising over five years to become Curator of Tower Collections at the Tower of London. In 2015 he was awarded the Arms & Armour Heritage Trust Studentship to complete a PhD focusing on late medieval martial arts at the University of Southampton. A summary of the PhD thesis is here.
In this episode we talk about James’s exciting research, particularly about matching up the treatises and other sources we have from the period with the notches and dings found on weapons and sk…
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Feb 26, 2021
Historical Medieval Battle in New Zealand, with Dayna Berghan-Whyman
Episode 36
Photo by Keane Chan.
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/historical-medieval-battle-nz-episode36/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Dayna Berghan-Whyman is the President of the New Zealand Federation for Historical Medieval Battle and Buhurt. In case you haven’t heard of it, Historical Medieval Battles (HMB) are full contact sports fighting, where defensive and offensive weapons of the Middle Ages are used. It includes historical fencing, buhurts, melee, duels, small-group battles, mass field battles, professional fights, etc. In our conversation Dayna explains her involvement in getting this sport recognised in New Zealand.
In this highly entertaining episode we talk about the challenges of competing in tournaments on a world stage, when you live SO FAR away from everywhere else. Dayna explains what it’s like to get off the plane after 30 hours and realise your…
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Feb 19, 2021
Analysing sword science and technology with Myles Cupp
Episode 35
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/analysing-sword-science-episode35/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Myles Cupp is an instructor at South Coast Swords, in California. You might have seen him on the History Channel's Knife or Death show, and he's a contributor to swordstem.com. SwordSTEM is a website dedicated to applying science to sword martial arts, which analyses martial arts with rational, evidence-based methodologies. In our discussion we talk about some of the articles on SwordSTEM, and how looking at the numbers can influence the rules of tournaments, the gear we use, and the most effective ways to fight.
Myles’ day job is as an engineer at Disneyland, and we talk about working on rides like the new Star Wars Rise of the Resistance. We also chat about driverless cars, and speaking Italian like a native, but the episode is really all about swords! One of M…
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Feb 12, 2021
Battle of Nations with Beth Hammer
Episode 34
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/battle-of-nations-episode34/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
In this episode I talk to Beth Hammer. One of Beth’s favourite pastimes is “This is Sparta” kicking people through fences as part of Battle of Nations competitions. Based in Seattle, USA, Beth practises HEMA and Escrima, and is now enjoying the freedom of Battle of Nations fighting. In this episode we explore what this fun activity involves, and also talk about Beth’s other hobby of fireman’s lifting men much bigger than herself, including me!
Photo by Olivia Blake
Beth is also an artist, specialising in sculpture and making models. And when she is not doing all that, she also finds the time to be one of the organisers of Swordsquatch, which is an amazing annual event for swordy people. We talk about what goes into organising and planning it, and if you listen…
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Feb 5, 2021
How to Make Swords, with Craig Johnson
Episode 33
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/how-to-make-swords-episode33/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Craig Johnson is Manager of Arms and Armor, a sword lover's dream job, as they make a wide variety of items from the Medieval and Renaissance periods to faithfully recreate the look, feel, and function of historic weapons. In this episode, we talk about recreating medieval swords as faithfully as possible, modern fashions in sword design, and the intricacies of sword manufacture. If you are interested in anything to do with swords and how they are made, this episode is a must-listen.
Craig has been involved in Historical European Martial Arts / Western Martial Arts since the early days of the community and he is the secretary of the Oakeshott Institute, a non-profit organization, established by Christopher Poor in 2000. The Institute is named after the late Ewart Oakesh…
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Jan 29, 2021
Pole Dancing with Swords, with Kelley Costigan
Episode 32
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/pole-dancing-with-swords-episode32/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
In this week’s episode I interview Kelley Costigan. Kelley is an actor, director, pole dancer, fencer, performance combatant, adventurer and pirate, currently living in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, home of William Shakespeare.
Listen to our conversation to discover the Shakespeare connection that inspired me to ask Kelley to narrate my audiobook, The Theory and Practice of Historical Martial Arts. (It’s out now: you can probably find it in your audiobook app of choice, or get it directly from me here: https://gumroad.com/l/ttphmaaudio.)
As a child, Kelley was told that fencing was “not something that girls do”, but she has since made up for it after taking up HEMA in her 40s.
We also talk about competitive fencing, competitive pole dancing (yes, that’s a t…
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Jan 22, 2021
Why Swords are Cool, with Damon Young
Episode 31
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/why-swords-are-cool-episode31/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Damon Young is an Australian martial artist and philosopher, author of books like Philosophy in the Garden and the soon to be published in Europe, already out in Australia, On Getting Off: Sex and Philosophy. He has also edited a couple of books on philosophy and martial arts: Engagement, Philosophy and the Martial Arts, and Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness.
In this fascinating conversation we discuss the importance of the study of philosophy when practising martial arts. How do we know the difference between bravery and foolhardiness? How can someone engage in violence and still be a good person? And perhaps, most importantly, why are swords so damn cool?
For Damon’s essay on why swords are cool, you can find the details of the Meanjin magazine…
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Jan 15, 2021
Fencing in Russia, with Elena Muzurina
Episode 30
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fencing-in-russia-episode30/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Elena Muzurina is a military sabre instructor, longsword champion and owner of a HEMA equipment company. Elena is a Russian champion – one of her proudest moments was winning at Swordfish – but HEMA is relatively new to Russia. In this episode we talk about what it is like learning Italian rapier and longsword in a country where there are very few sources translated into the language. We talk about the problems with fencing equipment, and what she would do with a million dollars to improve HEMA in Russia.
When listening to this episode you might not have caught some of the names Elena mentions, so here they are in case you are interested:
* Andrey Muzurin – Elena's longsword trainer and husband
* Vadim Senichev – translator of Fiore in Russian
* Kristine K…
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Jan 8, 2021
Violence and Self Defence, with Rory Miller
Episode 29
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/violence-and-self-defence-episode29/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Rory Miller is a martial arts and self-defence expert and author of many books, ebooks and video courses, including “Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence”, which is widely considered as one of the best books on martial arts ever written and I urge you to read it. Speaking of best books on martial arts, Rory and I have a chat about our top 5 favourites in this episode, so if you are after some new reading material, have a listen.
In this episode, the conversation goes in some unexpected places, including sailing across the Atlantic, from South Africa to Florida in a custom catamaran; being “raised by coyotes” in the desert; poo-flinging monkeys on Facebook; and a whole lot in between about self-defence and…
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Jan 1, 2021
Art and Fencing, with Nora Cannaday
Episode 28
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/art-and-fencing-episode28/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Nora is an artist and a fencer from sunny Southern California. She works primarily in watercolours and in illumination, though we cover a lot in this episode, including calligraphy, translations, making a living from your art and whether simply putting in the hours of practise is enough to get good. You can see an example of her work here with the logo she produced for the Spada Press:
In this episode we talk about how exacting and unforgiving some art forms can be, and the differences between different media in painting. Nora talks about the artist Lori Lamont who works exclusively in watercolour, and you can see her work here.
When we talk about fencing in the SCA scene in Southern California, we mention Nora’s painted fencing masks. Here are some examples:
This is t…
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Dec 25, 2020
Irish Stick Fighting, with Maxime Chouinard
Episode 27
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/irish-stick-fighting-episode27/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Maxime doesn’t do longsword. But he does practise Irish Stick Fighting, 19th century sabre, and has a background in karate and kenjutsu.
In this episode Maxime describes Irish Stick Fighting, the challenges of finding someone to learn it from, and how he was able to bring it back to life as a martial art.
Maxime’s website, HEMA Misfits, is all about the fringes of historical martial arts, the less popular styles, and we talk about some of these less common forms of the art.
Content warning: In the second half of our conversation there is some pretty gory stuff about sword fighting injuries and how they were treated. (Maybe not for listening to over the Christmas dinner table!) Maxime's article on the subject is here.
Merry Christmas everybody!
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Dec 18, 2020
Straight White Men with Swords, with Claire Mead
Episode 26
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/straight-white-men-with-swords-episode26/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Claire Mead is an English/French freelance curator with museums and heritage sites specialising in making collections and programming more inclusive, specifically in terms of women's narratives and LGBTQI narratives. Claire also fences with foil and longsword. Since recording the episode she has taken the post of Programme Manager at the National Videogame Museum.
In this episode we have a fascinating conversation about how a traditionally white, male perspective of history has overlooked many women, people of colour and those from the LGBTQI community. Did you know that one of the foremost fencers of the 18th century was black, and another was trans?
I mention two African-born emperors of Rome. These are: Lucius Septimius Severus, who was a Roman emperor f…
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Dec 11, 2020
Fire Eating and Fencing, with David Ito
Episode 25
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/fire-eating-and-fencing-episode25/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
David Ito is a sport épée fencer, Kendoka, longsword practitioner, and a fire eater. He also does 100 burpees first thing every morning.
In this episode David tells us how he got into both fencing and fire eating, takes us through his somewhat intensive training regime, and shares good advice for anyone looking to get into teaching fencing as a career.
In the podcast you will hear David talk about a footwork training machine, and if you are interested to see it in action, head over to https://guywindsor.net/2020/12/the-sword-guy-episode-25-david-ito/ to see the video.
We also talk about the effect of the covid pandemic and what we might expect a post-covid world to look like for martial artists.
To find out more about David and his work, you can find him on…
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Dec 4, 2020
Designing Knives and Random Flow training, with Maija Soderholm
Episode 24
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/designing-knives-random-flow-episode24/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Maija Soderholm lives in the United States, but grew up in England with Finnish parents. She trained with the late Filipino master Sonny Umpad, and she has taken this multicultural approach in her designs with her company, SoMiCo Knives.
In this week’s episode we discuss how Maija got into martial arts and designing knives, including the most important use for a knife in Finland.
We also discuss the Random Flow technique of sparring, which uses constant movement and no choreographed drills or pre-set patterns.
Maija’s first book The Liar, The Cheat and the Thief: Deception and the Art of Swordplay, came out in 2014. Her new book The Hustler – Swordplay and the Art of Tactical Thinking is also out now, and in this episode we discuss the tactics of fight…
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Nov 27, 2020
African Martial Arts, with Da’Mon Stith
Episode 23
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/african-martial-arts-episode23/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Da’Mon Stith is the Chief Instructor and Founder of the Guild of the Silent Sword, teaching a range of African martial arts. In this conversation we discuss how he began his martial arts journey, and go into the specifics of how he recreates African arts, many of which do not have detailed written sources. You can find his Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/austinwarriorarts We discuss many aspects of African martial arts, and he mentions a lot of weapons the average HMA practitioner may be unfamiliar with. Here are some of them (images are borrowed from the internet- if they belong to you, l'll happily give credit or take them down, just get in touch): Khopesh: Shotel swords: Takoba sword Tetela sword:
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Nov 20, 2020
Tournament Mindset, with Brittany Reeves
Episode 22
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/tournament-mindet-episode22/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Brittany Reeves is the co-founder of Mordhau Historical Combat in Mesa, Arizona, and has taught internationally. She has medalled at tournaments in longsword, cutting, glima, and ringen. She also has a degree in Ancient and Medieval history. In this conversation we discuss tournament mindset, her advice to beginners wanting to go to tournaments for the first time, and of course, equipment.
You can support the show at Patreon.com/TheSwordGuy Patrons get access to the episode transcriptions as they are produced, the opportunity to suggest questions for upcoming guests, and even some outtakes from the interviews. Join us!
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Nov 13, 2020
Wiktenauer, with Michael Chidester
Episode 21
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/wiktenauer-episode21/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Michael Chidester is the a long-time researcher and practitioner of historical martial arts, and the Director of Wiktenauer. There were some unfortunate technical problems with the recording of this interview, so you may wish to refer to the transcription below.
You can also support the show at Patreon.com/TheSwordGuy Patrons get access to the episode transcriptions as they are produced, the opportunity to suggest questions for upcoming guests, and even some outtakes from the interviews. Join us!
Transcription:
GW: Hello, sword people, this is Guy Windsor, also known as The Sword Guy. And I'm here today with Michael Chidester. Michael is the Director of wiktenauer.com, which for those of you who are new to historical martial arts, and who may not have even heard of it yet, it…
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Nov 6, 2020
Translating Spanish Rapier Texts, with Lois Spangler
Episode 20
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/spanish-rapier-episode20/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Lois Spangler is a Verdadera Destreza ("Spanish Rapier") instructor and researcher with the Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship. We discuss translating Spanish fencing sources, the problems of getting fencing jackets that actually fit, and even the philosophy of narrative. Check out her blog at StoryTrade.Net, and her Patreon account at Patreon.com/LoisSpangler
She has been involved in producing a fencing jacket (the LS Diestrx) with HemaGearCanada, which you can find on their Facebook feed here.
The jacket has undergone testing and has been certified to 410 newtons.
We also mention a lecture she gave for Puck Curtis and Eric Myers, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/FhRbXO9XZZg
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Oct 30, 2020
Founding Longpoint and Fencing in Armour, with Jake Norwood
Episode 19
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/founding-longpoint-fencing-in-armour-episode19/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jake Norwood is a highly experienced and widely respected historical martial arts instructor. He co-founded the HEMA Alliance (one of the largest historical martial arts associations), and Longpoint (one of the best-known US historical martial arts events). He has taught and competed internationally. We talked about the founding of Longpoint, creating tournament structures that give you the outcomes you want, preparing for armoured combat, and many other things.
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Oct 23, 2020
Women in Armour, and Translating Latin Fiore, with Kendra Brown
Episode 18
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/the-sword-guy-episode-18-kendra-brown/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Kendra Brown is a swordswoman, researcher, and translator of the Latin version of Fiore’s Il Fior di Battaglia (known as the Florius manuscript). She has an awesome blog at https://darthkendraresearch.wordpress.com/ In this wide ranging conversation we discuss the perils and pitfalls of translation, women in combat in medieval times, and even what a very pregnant Caterina Sforza wore to occupy the Castel Santangelo.
In this episode we cover a lot of ground, and make a lot of references. For a complete list of references, please go to: https://guywindsor.net/2020/10/the-sword-guy-episode-18-kendra-brown/
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Oct 16, 2020
Maori Martial Arts, Bartitsu, and can an Uruk bench-press a motorcycle? With Tony Wolf
Episode 17
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/maori-martial-arts-bartitsu-episode17/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Tony Wolf is an author, lecturer, antiquarian, and has trained in a very wide range of martial arts. In this conversation we discuss everything from Maori martial arts to Professional Wrestling, Victorian combatives to the Lord of the Rings (he designed the fighting styles for the different peoples of Middle Earth). And yes, he answers the question: can an Uruk bench press a motorcycle?
In the show we discuss the Maori martial art Te Mau Taiaha, and he mentions the reality TV series called "Toa" ("Warrior"). In addition, Tony recommends "The Dead Lands", “which is basically "Apocalypto" set in prehistoric New Zealand. Lots of stylistically accurate fighting.” The weapon is a Taiaha:
You can find his many books at his Amazon author page here. You can see hi…
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Oct 9, 2020
Dr Eleanor Janega on medieval history, the Dark Ages, and who gets to have a sword?
Episode 16
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/dark-ages-episode16/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Dr. Eleanor Janega (whom Dan Snow refers to as “The most awesome medieval historian in the world”) is a Guest Lecturer at the London School of Economics in their International History department, and she has published many articles, including: “Suspect Women: Prostitution, Reputation, and Gossip in Fourteenth-Century Prague” and “Lies, Damn Lies, and Bohemians” in History Today. She has a PhD in History from University College London, writes a fascinating blog called “Going Medieval”, and you can find her on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/GoingMedieval. Her latest work is The Middle Ages: A Graphic History, which is available for pre-order here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-middle-ages/eleanor-janega/neil-max-emmanuel/9781785785917
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Oct 2, 2020
Anyone can do HEMA! With Robyn Alman
Episode 15
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/anyone-can-do-hema-episode15/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today's guest on the show is Robyn Alman, from the Athena School of Arms, in Boston. She is well known on the US tournament circuit, and believes that "anybody can do this and enjoy it and engage in it in the way that is the most meaningful to them." In this episode we talk about how she got started (hint: there was a Sci Fi and Fantasy Con involved), the challenges of training during a pandemic, and the magic of putting swords in peoples' hands.
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Sep 25, 2020
Making videogame swordfights real, with Kirk, Knight of Green
Episode 14
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/videogame-swordfights-episode14/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kirk Williams, also known as the Knight of Green (to find out why, listen to the interview), is a practising historical martial artist… and also recreates video game sword fights in real life. Let’s be honest- most of us take up the sword because of something we read in a book or saw on a screen. I certainly spent a good chunk of my childhood trying to recreate sword fights from movies. Kirk takes that idea to a whole new level, and he has a youtube channel devoted entirely to his recreations.
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Sep 18, 2020
Indian weapons, aerial combat, and German longsword, with Alina Boyden
Episode 13
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/indian-weapons-episode13/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Alina Boyden is a pilot, swordswoman, and the author of Stealing Thunder, a fantasy novel that you really should read (no spoilers! but I really enjoyed it, especially the dragons-as-fighter-planes). We talk about birds of prey, fighter pilot training, Indian swords, Kunst des Fechtens, and even pedal powered flight.
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Sep 11, 2020
Mindset, military service, and why we train, with Rigel Ng
Episode 12
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mindset-military-service-episode12/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Rigel Ng is the president of the Pan Historical European Martial Arts Society (PHEMAS) in Singapore. In this conversation we cover a lot of ground, from military service to establishing your training goals. The Society was founded in 2005 by Greg Galistan and Chris Blakey, who spent a month training 24/7 in my salle in Helsinki, and I've taught there many times since, so it's especially gratifying to me to see the next generation pick up the torch and run with it.
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Sep 4, 2020
Setting fire to nunneries, Fiore’s wrestling, and more. With Kimberleigh Roseblade
Episode 11
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/setting-fire-to-nunneries-episode11/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Kimberleigh Roseblade is a historical martial arts instructor, specialising in Fiore's Art of Arms. She teaches at AEMMA in Toronto, and has taught at many international level events including Swordsquatch, VISS, and Longpoint.
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Aug 28, 2020
Armour, building gauntlets, travelling in Europe, and the perfect sword for Marozzo, with Tomas Suazo
Episode 10
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/armour-episode10/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
My guest this week is Tomas Suazo, a historical fencer and armourer from Chile. I first met Tomas when he came to train with me in Finland in 2014. He did a Grand Tour of European historical fencing clubs, before returning home to run his own. He's a professional maker of protective equipment for HMA, as well as what I think of as "proper armour". You can find his work at Broken Anvil: https://www.facebook.com/brokenanvilarmourshop/
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Aug 21, 2020
Acting, fighting, training, cloaks, shoes, and more! With Siobhan Richardson
Episode 9
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/acting-fighting-training-episode9/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Today’s podcast episode is with Siobhan Richardson. You may recognise her from the cover of my latest book, From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice. She's an actress, singer, martial artist, stage combat director, among her many skills. We've been friends for quite a while, as you can probably tell from the tone of the interview. She even gets me to talk a bit about shoes!
You can find her online here: Instagram: @fighteractress Youtube.com/actorsr www.SiobhanRichardson.com
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Aug 14, 2020
Getting started in HMA, sword design, and more. With Roland Warzecha
Episode 8
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/hma-viking-sword-episode8/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
I met Roland Warzecha (also known as Dimicator) at the first Swordfish event, in Malmö in 2006, and we have been friends and colleagues ever since. He has built a first-class reputation in the fields of I.33 sword and buckler research and Viking sword and shield combat. He is a graphic designer by profession (he consulted on the card design for Audatia), and produces extraordinarily well presented research on sword design and related topics in his 800+ patreon posts.
In our wide-ranging conversation we discuss how he got started in the sword world, his early training influences, Viking sword design, and many other things. Specific links: we mention the Berlin Buckler Bouts, and historical sword hilt manipulations.
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Aug 7, 2020
Mounted combat, and writing books, with Jennifer Landels
Episode 7
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/mounted-combat-episode7/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jennifer Landels is the founder and head of Academie Duello’s Mounted Combat Program which operates out of Cornwall Ridge Farm in Langley BC. She has been swordfighting since 2008, and riding since before she could walk. She started the program as an excuse to combine those passions, and has since been invited to Germany, France, and the USA to spread the joy of combining pointy objects with thousand-pound animals with minds of their own.
You can find her mounted combat school Academie Cavallo here, her novel Allaigna's Song here, and Pulp Literature Press here.
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Jul 31, 2020
Running a club in New York City, with Tan Smith
Episode 6
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/running-a-club-nyc-episode6/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
One of the great advantages of starting a podcast has been getting to talk to people I've not yet met, but whom my friends speak highly of. I think you'll see why several other guests suggested I talk to Tan when you listen to what she has to say! You can find our conversation here:
Tan runs Rogue Fencing, a historical martial arts school in New York, and is also a successful tournament fencer. You can find her online at Rogue fencing, and on Patreon.
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Jul 24, 2020
How to train, with Kaja Sadowski
Episode 5
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/how-to-train-episode5/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
In this episode of The Sword Guy, I talk to Kaja Sadowski, author of the must-read Fear is the Mind-Killer, about training with two swords, training in high-stress situations, and lots more training besides!
Kaja has been a physical instructor since 2004, teaching figure skating, rock climbing, and mountaineering before coming to martial arts in 2010. She joined the coaching team at Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Assembly in 2012, and created their beginner program shortly afterwards. She currently teaches group and private lessons to students of all experience levels, and run the school’s self defense program.
Her primary weapon is the rapier, and she also teaches unarmed striking, grappling, and knife combat. Her interests vary from the historical to the modern, and range f…
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Jul 17, 2020
Lightsabers and Rapiers, with Airrion Scott
Episode 4
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/lightsabers-rapiers-episode4/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Airrion Scott is an Italian Rapier and Sabre Fencer and Instructor out of the Mid-Atlantic Society for Historic Swordsmanship in Annapolis, Maryland. Since joining them in 2016, Airrion has judiciously followed the methodology of the club which encourages the martial study of HMA through historically accurate techniques gleaned from the manuals and treatises, using historically accurate weapons. Airrion's study at MASHS has led him to become a proponent of the philosophy, "if you follow the text, you will prevail"; subsequently, he has reached the podium in tournaments in 2018 and 2019, earning Gold and Sportsman/Technical Prizes for rapier, rapier and dagger, and sabre play along the way. Airrion would not have enjoyed this success, or HMA in general, if it were not for…
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Jul 10, 2020
Sam Swords on travel, film, and *that* longsword tournament
Episode 3
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/sam-swords-episode3/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Sam -also called Samantha- Swords has been passionate about swordfighting since he was old enough to hold a stick. Strongly inspired by the stories of western warrior culture as a child, he has grown up to build his life around those same values, specialising in historical swordsmanship as well as being a professional craftsperson for the film and theatre industry, and immersing himself in creative projects on the side.
Sam grew up in Australia and New Zealand, where he learned Western Martial Arts with Colin McKinstry through the New Zealand schools of historical swordsmanship. He was also able to learn the basics of mounted Medieval combat through the Upper Hutt Martial Arts Academy’s cavalry reenactment group, the Order of the Boar. Sam went on to travel widely and train wit…
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Jul 3, 2020
Women in HEMA, with Fran Lacuata
Episode 2
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/women-in-hema-episode2/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy Francesca Lacuata is lead instructor at The School of the Sword’s Godalming chapter, having studied Bolognese swordplay and rapier since 2010. She has a further interest and some experience in renaissance dagger-fighting, Bartitsu and longsword. Fran has instructed at several high-profile events in Britain, Europe and the US; and has placed in and won a number of international tournaments. As a writer, Fran has demonstrated, panelled and presented on historical fencing and real-world violence at various lectures and writers’ conventions, including Fantasycon and at the Wallace Collection. She was a main organiser of the International Rapier Seminar 2016; co-founded Waterloo Sparring Group in 2012, which facilitates inter-group sparring from clubs all over the south of Englan…
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Jun 26, 2020
Medieval shoulders, trees, and swords, with Jess Finley
Episode 1
For transcriptions and more detailed shownotes, please go to https://swordschool.com/podcast/medieval-shoulders-trees-swords-episode1/
To support the show, come join the Patrons at https://www.patreon.com/theswordguy
Jess Finley has had a sword in her had for the past twenty years. Her initial interest was in stage combat, but not too long after beginning that pursuit began to ask "... but how did they really fight" and from that question branched out to German Medieval Martial Arts. She is the head instructor at Ritterkunst Turhalle in Lawrence, Kansas.
She has taught and competed internationally at events like the Western Martial Arts Workshop in Chicago, USA; Paddy Crean International Workshop in Banff, Canada; Swordfish in Gothenburg, Sweden; and Longpoint in Baltimore, USA and has taught intensives at various events and schools, as well as weekend private intensives at her home.
Jess is a published author, having written Medieval Wrestling on the fifteenth century M…
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